Chase the Wind
by Knut Case
Summary: All Merida wants to do is fly - and Hiccup has a dragon. When the Vikings are forced to up and move to Scotland, Stoick agrees to present his oldest son as a suitor for the princess at the games. Meanwhile, Merida is visiting each of the Clans, to see if any of the lords sons can stir her heart. But when she meets a charming young Viking boy, she starts to rethink her options.
1. Ready the Ships

**Chase the** **Wind**

**_Chapter One; Ready the Ships_**

_~Hiccup~_

Berk was wasting away. Hiccup could see it clearly. Years of stormy weather and ferocious seas, as well as a new group of Thunderdrums settling into the caves near the beach had made the island unstable. The dragons had widened the caves to accumulate their massive bodies and then their nests, and a neat collection of tunnels had been dug out. It meant that the stability of the island was compromised, and it could collapse at any moment. They had already lost one of the older houses when the floor had fallen through, crushing a Thunderdrum nest.

'What're we gonna do?' Hiccup asked himself, instructing Toothless to fly back to the village. Stoick had asked him to check out the island and find out what was going on. Now eighteen, Hiccup was still as scrawny as a fish bone. His voice had deepened, but not by much, and after a very awkward time of squeaking like a Terrible Terror. He also had a house of his own, littered with drawings of Toothless and the other dragons. He had had a hand in the making of a new Book of Dragons, and was the go-to guy when it came to the massive beasts.

Stoick was waiting for him in the Great Hall with Gobber.  
'What did you find?' he asked in his thick accent. Hiccup put a hand on Toothless's head and sighed.  
'Doesn't look good, Dad,' he replied, running his hand through his hair. 'The island could collapse at any minute. The Thunderdrums have worked their way into the centre of the island, and the foundations are … pretty much non-existent.'

Stoick and Gobber exchanged a nervous glance.  
'How long do you think she'll hold?' Stoick asked, tugging on his beard – a gesture that Hiccup recognised as nerves.  
'A month, maybe? If there's a serious storm, and this is Berk so that could be any day now, it could take the island down in a matter of hours.'

Stoick nodded, but there was worry etched on his face.  
'Thankyou Hiccup. You can go, I'll discuss this with Gobber and Spitelout, and we'll decide what to do,' the chief said, and Hiccup turned and left the hall. He opened the door to his house and a delicious smell hit his nose. Toothless leaped up on to one of the rafters, and Stormfly, Astrid's dragon was directly underneath him, dozing quietly. Astrid herself was setting the table.

'Oh, you're back,' she said with a smile, and Hiccup smiled back. Living with Astrid was... trying. She was beautiful, but he didn't feel the same pull to her as he always had. But he kept it up until he could decide exactly what he wanted.  
'Hi. Is that for me?' he asked, sitting at their worn wooden table. She nodded, and he took a bite of the food. He had to hand it to her, the woman could cook.

'That's delicious, thank you.'  
She beamed at him, and sat down opposite, and he could tell there was something she wanted to ask him.  
'So, what did you find when you examined the island?'  
Ah, so that's what she wanted to know.

'Nothing good, I'm afraid. It's been completely eroded by storms and then those Thunderdrums have made it worse,' he muttered.  
'So...what do we do about it?' Astrid asked, putting down her fork. Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck.  
'I don't think there's anything we can do. If I were chief...we'd be leaving Berk'

* * *

'People of Berk.'  
Stoick's voice boomed as he spoke, as it always did. He had the attention of everyone in the village, from the elders to the youngest members of the Clan.  
'We have lived on this island for many generations, and it is our home. I was born here, and I had always assumed that this is where I would die.'

_He really knows how to work the crowd, _Hiccup thought with a smirk.  
'However, it seems as though Berk is no longer safe,' Stoick announced with a pained expression. The villagers broke out in hushed mutters.  
'What do you mean, no longer safe?' asked someone, and others began shouting as well.

'Berk is no longer able to support us. We must leave, before the island collapses into the sea. Pack your belongings, only the things you really need and load up the boats. We need to leave by the end of the week,' Stoick watched as his people stared up at him in horror.  
'Leave Berk?' asked one woman – heavily pregnant. Hiccup could understand her insecurity with the idea.

'Aye. We'll head for the mainland, set up there. It won't be easy, that I know. But we're Vikings! We can handle a move like this.'  
'What do you want us to do?' Gobber asked, and Stoick visibly relaxed.  
'Gobber, you make sure everyone is armed to the teeth. We need to be able to protect ourselves. Spitelout, take some of the men and get the boats ready. Food for everyone – and a boat specifically for the livestock. We need to take them with us,'

Spitelout nodded and picked a handful of men to ready the boats. Gobber had vanished as well.  
'Hiccup? Who can you trust to take care of the dragons? We'll need to harness them so they'll pull the boats. We can't stay on the water for too long,'  
'Possibly... I don't know though,' Hiccup replied. 'I mean, the larger boats will hold a few dragons, so we can do it in shifts. Astrid and Fishlegs can do that. They know more about dragons than anyone else.' _Besides me, of course._

'Right. Everyone else ready the ships. We sail at the end of the week!' Stoick roared, punching the air. The villagers gave a little half-hearted cheer and then disbanded.  
'What about me?' Hiccup asked, desperate to help in some way. Stoick beckoned him away from the rest of the villagers who hadn't yet dispersed.

'I've been to the mainland once, it was a four day boat trip. On Toothless, you can make that journey in a day if you fly non-stop.' Hiccup frowned. Where was his father going with this?'  
'I need you to fly to the mainland. I need to know if it's safe, if there's a place to set up a camp until I can speak with the authority of the land,'

'Authority of the land?' Hiccup repeated, and Stoick's face set into a grim expression.  
'I can't barge on to the land of another chief, or perhaps King...without asking their permission. If a stranger came to Berk, I would expect them to submit to my rule, and I will give that same respect to the King of the mainland,'

* * *

'Be careful,' Astrid warned, and Hiccup rolled his eyes for the third time. Toothless wriggled beside him, eager to get going.  
'Astrid, I'll be fine. No one is going to attack a fishbone like me, and if they do...Toothless will eat them, right buddy?'

The dragon growled affirmatively, and Hiccup gave Astrid a look that said 'so there'. She kissed his cheek lightly, and he looked up at Stoick. The chief had also come to see him off, and Hiccup could tell he was nervous.  
'Dad, we'll be fine,' Hiccup assured him. 'Toothless and I have been flying together for a long time, okay? A day is nothing,'

'It's not the flying I'm worried about,' Stoick said. 'We, uh... we attacked the mainland once when I was a wee lad. Younger than you are now. I didn't go, of course, but we lost a lot of good vikings. They told tales of how the Clans united and fought with the strength of ten armies. We never attempted to take the mainland again, but I don't think they'll like to see us back again, especially with the dragons on our side...'

The sight of the endless sea made Hiccup feel strange. On one hand, it was beautiful, like the world would just go on forever, but on the other hand, it seemed as though Toothless could never fly that far. Not without tiring and crashing into the ocean - a fall that would surely kill them both. He chided himself for being pessimistic and patted the dragon's neck, making Toothless purr. They were simply gliding, keeping an eye out of any sign of the mainland.

'Hungry?' Hiccup asked, leaning forward on the dragons neck, and Toothless licked his chops. Hiccup pointed out a tall rock that jutted out of the water, and Toothless landed on it with ease, folding his wings and lowering his body so that Hiccup could slide off. In the last few years, Toothless had grown to his full size, almost twice as big as he had been. Hiccup took a moment to get his balance - the replacement leg couldn't really match a real one for balance on an unstable surface - then sat himself down and watched as Toothless started to catch fish for himself, and for later. He wrapped the smaller ones up in some thick fabric and tucked them into one of the bags he had made to attach to Toothless' saddle. He'd cook them up once they reached the mainland.

'C'mon bud, we've got a long trip ahead of us' Hiccup said, climbing onto the Nightfury's back, and they took off once more.

* * *

'Don't be dramatic' Hiccup playfully scolded the dragon, who sprawled his body out on the soft grass in a display of exhaustion. He unpacked the bags, set himself up a makeshift mattress stuffed with sheep wool, and started a fire. He cooked up a fish for himself, and leaned back against the warmth of Toothless' hide to watch the stars. They were on a steep cliff, but there was an old disused boat dock further down that the Vikings were able to tie their ships to, and a path that led to the top of the cliff. There was also a worn trail a little further in, worn down by horses over a long period of time. There was a large castle off in the distance as well that blocked out the setting sun. It was a very long way away, but Hiccup couldn't help but wonder if it belonged to the King of the mainland. He wondered if the stories were true - that he sat on a throne made of the bones of dragons, and that he drank wine from the skull of a Viking infant. And other such nonsense - of course he didn't do that. But Hiccup still didn't want to be caught out here by himself without his Viking family to back him up.

The sun disappeared, and the only light was that of the tiny crackling fire. Hiccup lay down on his sheep wool mattress, and Toothless covered him with a big black wing, blocking out any wind or rain, should it decide to fall. A living breathing tent, with an in-built heating system. Hiccup smiled to himself - it didn't get better than this.

* * *

**A/N:**  
**Hello strangers, remember me? If not, well then dayum, I have been gone a while :S**  
**I've not written a crossover before, so this should be very interesting, but I have the greatest love for both of these movies, and I can't get this idea out of my head, so here it is. Chase the Wind. **  
**Every chapter is named after a song from either How to Train Your Dragon or Brave, because the soundtracks sound so amazing - especially when they're played together. So yes, the song for this chapter is 'Ready the Ships', from HTTYD.  
Please leave a lovely review on the way out, it would make my day. Let me know if I can improve anything, or if you liked something, I will always answer every review personally. **

**Stay Shiny x  
KnutCase**


	2. Merida Rides Away

**Chase the** **Wind**

**_Chapter Two; Merida Rides Away_**

_~Merida~_

'I'll be fine. I've got a sword and my bow,' Merida assured her mother, pulling a travelling cloak tight around her neck. Elinor still looked worried for her daughter, as she always did whenever she left. But this time she was going alone, to a strange castle without her family.  
'Do you have to? For such a long time? I worry about you, you know,'

'Mum,' Merida flicked her hair back off her face. 'I'm going to be married in a month. I just want this last bit of freedom... please,'  
The princess had made peace with the fact – accepted it. She knew that she would have to marry someone soon, she was nearly seventeen and the lords wouldn't wait much longer.

'I know. Just please be careful,' Elinor kissed her daughter on the head, and watched from the window as Merida packed Angus' saddlebags with her things and then took off through the castle gates.  
'Be careful,' she muttered, putting a hand to her head.

* * *

Merida couldn't keep the smile from her face as the wind whipped her hair around her face and neck. It was bittersweet – she knew none of the lords sons would let her go riding and shooting. They all wanted a wife to mother their children. The thought made her shudder. She turned Angus towards the coast and jammed her heels into his side. The horse took off, hooves thundering on the worn path. She was on her way to visit the Castle of the Dingwall Clan. It had been organised between the four Clans that each of the suitors would have Merida to themselves for a week. After each of them had had their chance to impress her, it was up to Merida who she would marry. She wasn't entirely happy about the whole situation, but it had gotten her two extra years of freedom.

'Angus, woah,' she murmured to the horse, and he slowed up. They had made good progress, getting further than she had expected to in a few short hours. They stood still at the fork in the road, Merida chewing her lip. Did she want to go to the coast and take the long way around, or cut across the land, going through villages and farms. They could give her shelter, and food, or she could hunt for herself... sleep under the stars.

A grin split her face, and she nudged Angus in the side with her heels, and he took off towards the coast.

The smell of the salt water brought back memories from her childhood - playing in the water with her dad, even teaching the triplets how to swim. She was so lost in thought that when Angus skidded to a halt, she was nearly thrown over his neck, only just hanging on.  
'Ahh!' she cried, flipping her hair off her face and looking for the sign of the horses distress. It was a little blue light to her right. It made a noise like a child sighing, and she stared. Then it vanished. Another appeared a little further back.

Her past had told Merida that the wisps would take care of her... lead her to her fate. Perhaps she wasn't to marry one of the Clan suitors after all... She jammed her heels into Angus' sides, and he took off, following the wisps. Merida urged him to go faster, riding away from the setting sun. The wisps glowed brightly in the dark as they rode on, for hours it seemed, her eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. That was when she spied the campfire. Angus snorted nervously and stopped dead. Merida knocked an arrow, and tried to urge the horse forward. He wouldn't budge.  
'Angus, move,' she hissed.

'Who's there?' called a voice, and she froze.  
'I'm armed,' she called back, aiming her arrow in the direction of the voice.  
'...there's no need for that... I won't hurt you... where are you?'

Merida realised that she was in the dark, and the boy couldn't see her - it was obviously a boy. His voice wasn't deep enough to be a fully grown man. She slipped off of Angus, putting away her bow so she could hold the horse and her sword, just in case. A girl can never be too careful. The boy finally came into view - he was taller than her, but probably just as skinny, in his brown vest and big boots.  
'Hi,' he said, extending a hand. 'My name's Hiccup...what's yours?'

'Hiccup?' she repeated. 'What kind of a name is Hiccup?'  
'Yeah. Tell me about it,' he replied, as if he didn't understand either.  
'You talk funny,' Merida told him, lowering the sword. She noticed that the only weapon had with him was a tiny hunting knife - it wouldn't hit anything vital even if he pushed it through her stomach all the way to the hilt.

'You talk like my dad,' Hiccup replied, and Merida frowned. 'You look like you're running away,' he continued, and the princess shook her head.  
'I'm going to visit some of the other Clans. What Clan are you from?' she asked, sheathing the sword and tugging a reluctant Angus even closer to the boy and the fire.  
'Um... we're not from any of your Clans. We came from an island a long way from here,' Hiccup told her, sitting down by the fire and gesturing for her to join him.

'...we?' She frowned, looking around. Angus snorted with fear as a big dark shape behind Hiccup moved, and a pair of bright yellow eyes lit up. It's hide looked leathery, with massive wings folded against it's back and a long tail that was curled around it's front feet. She screamed, and drew her sword again, backing away slowly. At the sight of the weapon, the dragon bared it's teeth and growled.  
'Hey wait, no, he won't hurt you... Toothless, calm down buddy,' Hiccup said soothingly, rubbing the creatures head.

'What the devil is that?' she asked, holding her sword out defensively.  
'This is Toothless... he's my dragon, and he's a friend...'

_Dragon?_ Dragons were the tales of stories - her mother had warned her that if she wasn't in bed on time then the dragons would come and gobble her up. She just assumed they were creatures of myth - and yet there was one right in front of her. A massive lizard, probably able to breathe fire and swallow her without chewing. She noticed his damaged tail, replaced with a man-made sail, like on a ship, and then his expertly crafted saddle.  
'...is he dangerous?' she asked, and Hiccup assured her that he wouldn't harm her. Merida sheathed the sword, but kept her bow beside her just in case. She sat down opposite Hiccup and warily watched the dragon, who had calmed down significantly since she had put the sword away. In fact, he almost looked cute.

* * *

_~Hiccup~_

'How did you tame a beastie like that?' the girl asked, pushing her hair out of her eyes. Boy, she had a lot of hair.  
'Dragons aren't that hard to tame, actually. They're just like big dogs, or horses that breathe fire and fly,' he replied, and she looked up at Toothless in awe. 'So you never told me your name.'  
'Oh, sorry. I'm Merida.'  
'Nice to meet you. Have you eaten?'

She shook her head, and Hiccup skewered one of the fish and put it over the fire.  
'So...what're you doing out here all by yourself?' he asked, and she looked at him curiously, as though he was supposed to already know.  
'I told you, I'm going to visit the Clan MacIntosh...'  
'Clan MacIntosh?' Hiccup asked, thoroughly confused. A suspicious smile split Merida's face.  
'That's right, you're not from around here, are ye?' Hiccup shook his head.

'Well, there are four great Clans - Macintosh, Dingwall, MacGuffin and Dun Broch. The King is of Clan Dun Broch, and the others submit to his rule. Every year we have the games up at the castle and all the Clans come together and fight like there's no tomorrow to prove that they have the most skilled and strong Clan. It's been a way for us to see each other and entertain and have a bit of fun watching them compete,' Merida explained.  
'What do you do in the games?' Hiccup asked, eyeing her bow.  
'What?'

'In the games... what do you do?'  
'Nothing... women aren't allowed to compete, silly. It isn't ladylike,'  
'Oh,' Hiccup couldn't help but smile. Astrid would have a tantrum if she wasn't allowed to show off just how well she could kick the butts of all the Clans without even tiring. No one could best a Viking at feats of strength, surely?  
'Women are just as tough as the men where I come from. Some would say tougher. We needed them to know how to fight and defend Berk from the dragons when they attacked,'

Merida turned her head to the side.  
'So you weren't always friends with the dragons?' Hiccup launched into the story of how he had found Toothless and ended the feud between the dragons and the vikings, downplaying his part in the defeat of the Green Death*.  
The redhead listened attentively, obviously captivated with the story. It made Hiccup a little shy, and this confused him. He hadn't really thought about the enormity of what he had done for his village - even sacrificing his own body for them.  
'And...Toothless caught me and managed to save me... except for my leg,' He touched the cool metal of his prosthetic, almost fondly. It made him even closer to Toothless - he was the only one who could ride the dragon, and in turn, Toothless was really only suited to carry him, both of them missing a piece of themselves. They were one and the same.

'That's awful brave of you,' Merida said, and Hiccup shrugged. 'My father is missing his leg too. He doesn't have anything as fancy as that though,'  
She got up and crossed to the other side of the fire so she was sitting next to him (but still being wary of Toothless, who was snoring happily), and she leaned over to examine his replacement foot.  
'Does it hurt?'  
'Not anymore. It just took a bit of getting used to. I rode Toothless pretty much everywhere those first few months.'

Merida grew quiet, and Hiccup yawned. Angus had gathered up some courage and settled opposite the dragon, keeping an eye on Merida.  
'I think I might go to sleep, if you don't mind. It's late, and I have to travel a long way tomorrow.' She unclasped her cloak and used it as a blanket, and Hiccup nudged Toothless in the side gently. Merida let out a little gasp of shock as a big black wing stretched over the two of them, blocking out the fire and the night sky.  
'Goodnight Merida. Night Toothless.' The Nightfury purred, Hiccup patted his side affectionately.  
'Goodnight Hiccup,' Merida said quietly before rolling over and going to sleep.

* * *

**A/N:  
So, second chapter. I've had to move this plot rather quickly, because I want to get through so much without dragging it on and on and on. So yes, Merida and Hiccup have met. Will Merida get over her fear of Toothless? Will Hiccup fall in love? Will the villagers of Berk drown at sea? Will Angus get apples?**  
**You will have to wait for the next chapter. Sorry, :]**

**FUN FACT: * **  
**The great dragon at the end of the HTTYD movie is commonly referred to as 'The Red Death'. I dislike this, for several reasons. The main one being that it isn't actually red. It's greenish-grey. So why would you name it the Red Death? Secondly, in Cressida Cowells original novels, it was called the Green Death. Therefore, I'm gonna stick with green, coz I like it better. Finally, I listen to the soundtrack, like, everyday at least. And the piece of music at the end is called 'Battling the Green Death', so I'm gonna go with that. It is an awesome piece of music, you guys should totally get on that. **

**Colours aside, that is the end of this chapter. **  
**Stay Shiny, lovelies. **  
**xx Maury**


	3. The Cove

**Chase the** **Wind**

**_Chapter Three; The Cove_**

_~Hiccup~_

'Good dragon... nice dragon... let a wee lass out... please...'

Hiccup woke up to Merida trying to coax Toothless awake. He was awake, Hiccup knew that, but he seemed to be amusing himself by keeping the girl trapped under his wing.

'Oh. Good morning Hiccup. Please... make yer dragon let me out,' she asked sweetly. Her tangled curls were everywhere, and she had her thick cloak draped over one arm. The Viking elbowed Toothless in the side, and he snorted and lifted his wings. Merida smiled gratefully and greeted an anxious looking Angus by petting his nose.  
'Well. Thankyou for sharing yer fire with me, and for letting me meet yer dragon,' Merida said, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. It fell out again, and she didn't bother to fix it.

'Yeah, sure. It was nice to meet you,' Hiccup smiled, running his hands through his hair. 'So um. Will you be back along this way...any time soon?'

Merida shrugged, slinging her handsome bow across her chest. 'I hope so. I don't really want to be going to visit the Clans, so I might come back a little earlier than I'm supposed to. If you don't mind?'

'No, course not. Did you wanna stay for breakfast, or do you have to go?' Hiccup offered, and Merida smiled at him again. He was surprised to find his breath catch in his throat - she really was very pretty.

'Sure. What're we having?'

xXx

_~Merida~_

Merida watched with anticipation as Hiccup climbed up onto the dragon. Toothless wriggled excitedly underneath him, and the princess twisted her skirts around in her hands nervously. She gasped as Toothless leapt into the air, the wind filling his massive wings and Hiccup whooping in glee.

'Be careful!' she cried, and he waved a hand.

'I'm perfectly safe. Toothless would never let me get hurt,' he assured her as they flew around her. Merida reached out and touched the soft leathery hide of Toothless' tail.

She ran up and down the coastline watching as Toothless dived in and out of the water, eating his fill of fish and then as he brought another large one back for - she assumed - both her and Hiccup.

'That was amazing!' she cried, running to greet them. She didn't even hesitate when she approached the dragon, and instead patted him on the head. The dragon purred happily, arching into her affectionate touch.

'He likes you,' Hiccup told her, unhooking his prosthetic foot and sliding down. She noticed that he stumbled a little, but he was holding a decent looking fish, so she let it slip from her mind.

They ate the fish quickly, as she had to get going soon. The Clans were waiting, after all. She stood up, flicking her hair out of her eyes in a well practiced sweep of her arm, and gasped.  
'Oh, my stars!' she whispered, her hands over her mouth.

A thick swarm of dragons were approaching the cliffs, dragging more Viking ships than she had ever seen in her life.  
'Toothless isn't the only dragon in your village, then?' she asked, and Hiccup shook his head.  
'Nope. Nearly everyone has one. You might wanna...go. Vikings can be cranky after a long boat ride,'

Her heart sank a little. If it were dragons, or stuffy sons of lords, she'd pick dragons any day. But she had promised her mother that she would approach her marriage problem maturely, and like a future Queen would.  
'Okay, well, we'll go now so you can meet your family. It was very nice meeting you, Hiccup.'

'And you, Merida,' he replied, and they shook hands awkwardly, not sure of what to do. Merida sighed inwardly and packed her things back into Angus' saddlebags, then realised she didn't have anything to stand on.  
'Um. Can I have some help?'

'Oh, of course,' Hiccup agreed, holding out his entwined hands for her to stand on. He boosted her up, and she smiled a thanks.  
'Well. Goodbye,' she said, glancing out at the thunder of dragons. She nudged Angus with her heels, and he started up a slow walk away from the boy and his dragon.

'Um... Merida?'  
She whipped around so fast that she hurt her neck. 'Yes?'  
'Did you wanna, maybe...come back to visit? You know, once all the others are here and settled down? You can meet all my friends, and the dragons?'

The princess grinned, and her heart soared with excitement. 'I'd love that, thankyou. We'll be back when we're done visiting the Lords, right Angus?'  
Hiccup grinned at her, and she smiled back at him sweetly. He was a nice guy, she'd admit that. Why couldn't he be a Lord too? She could spend hours learning about the dragons with him. She waved in farewell, and Angus took off down the coast, heading for Clan Macintosh.

xXx

_~Hiccup~_

'Have you met any of the Scots yet?' Stoick asked, his hands on his hips as he watched the Vikings try to piece together a makeshift village for the night. The dragons had basically gone to sleep, exhausted from all their hard work pulling the ships. Stoick hadn't wanted to risk staying on the water for too long, and the dragons had keener senses than the vikings did anyway, knowing where to find land.

'Just one of the girls from one of the villages around here. She explained a bit to me about how the whole kingdom works.'

Stoick raised an eyebrow. 'Was she pretty?'

Hiccup stared at him. 'Uhm... yeah, I guess...what does that have to do with anything!?'

'I don't know. I was your age when I married your mother. I just think she'd like to see you settling down,'

'Can we not have this conversation right now? Hiccup hissed. Astrid was coming closer, and he certainly didn't want _her_ starting up the topic of marriage.

'Hey. I just finished putting up our place. You wanna see?' she asked the minute she was close enough.

_Not particularly,_ thought Hiccup, but he went with her anyway, Toothless trotting behind him, looking around - probably for his new redheaded friend. Merida had been on his mind too, all morning in fact. She was ever so pretty. He felt like a teenager all of a sudden.

'Hiccup? Are you listening to me?'

'Huh?'

'I said, do you like it?' Astrid shifted her weight to her back leg and crossed her arms. Hiccup looked at the little hut. It would do, he supposed. 'I mean, obviously once the dragons are rested we can make it bigger and a bit sturdier, but it'll hold for a few days until they get their strength back at least,'

"Mm. It's good, thankyou,' Hiccup kissed her lightly on the cheek, making her smile slightly.

'And... who knows? We could always make it bigger than the one we had back on Berk...?'

'What was wrong with the one we had on Berk?'

'Well, I don't know... but if we wanted to...maybe...add a few little vikings to our family?'

Hiccup stared at her. 'I'm sorry... what? We're not even married... look, I'm not having this conversation. Thanks for building us a place,' he added, climbing on Toothless' back. He needed to clear his head, and flying was the only way he knew how.

xXx

_~Merida~_

'M'lady...?'

Merida rolled her eyes. She wished she was back at the cliffs with Hiccup and Toothless. She hadn't told them she was a princess, and it was nice being treated like a regular person for once.  
'Young Macintosh, pleasure to see you again,' she said politely, gritting her teeth. She hated these niceties - what was so wrong about speaking her mind?  
'Call me...-' He paused dramatically. '...Ian'

'Uhuh. You've got three days to make your mark,'  
'Three da-?' Ian frowned. The original arrangement was a whole week, but Merida had sped it up a little so she could spend a few days with Hiccup and the dragons before going to the other Clans.

'Yes, the time has been shortened. I'm sorry we didn't forewarn you, but it was a sudden decision.'

His face fell a little, and Merida suddenly felt bad. There was a chance she might end up married to the man in front of her, so she may as well start this whole thing with a slightly more positive attitude.

'...I'm sorry,' she said, sinking into one of the chairs beside her. 'I didn't mean to be rude. I'm a little nervous, to be honest,'

'Why are _you_ nervous?' he asked, sitting opposite her. 'You don't have to try to impress a princess,'

She gave a little laugh, and tucked her hair behind her ear. 'Well, um. What did you want to do today, then?'

'Well, I had an idea...'

xXx

Merida gave a loud whoop, gripping Angus' mane as the horse leapt over a fallen tree. Ian Macintosh wasn't far behind on his big chestnut stallion, laughing along with her. Because of his hundreds of adoring fans, he'd taught her his own secret way out of the castle and into the stables. There, they'd saddled up and escaped the bustle of the city. Apparently, Ian wasn't as shallow as she'd originally thought.

xXx

**A/N:**  
**Haha! I finally finished it. Sorry bout taking forever, but school started back up again for the year last week. This one's a bit shorter. **  
**I'm a little bit iffy about these chapters, I can't wait to get to the exciting ones. But they're all planned out in my little book. Speaking of which;**

**FUN FACT: Everything to do with this fic is written down in my little black book. Over half of that writing is done with an old-fashioned quill and ink. I find that it does wonders for inspiring creativity. But I carry it with me to classes and on buses and to the hairdressers and everything. When I'm at home, it sits on my desk, guarded very well by the stuffed Toothless that sits on my bass case. :P**

**ALSO, not a fun fact, but some amazing news indeed. The Pixar Head of Animation and Pixar Head of Story are coming to Australia, Melbourne to be precise, and do a two-day workshop. It's 600 bucks a ticket, and I AM GOING! So excited. Anyway,**

**Leave me a lovely little review, if you please. **  
**OR follow me on tumblr or DA, both of which are on my profile. **

**Stay Shiny**  
**KnutCase**


	4. This is Berk

**Chase the Wind**

**Chapter Four; This is Berk**

_~Hiccup~_

Hiccup woke up to Astrid curled up against his side, his shirt held tight in her fist. They had had a pretty loud fight the night before, and he felt guilt gnawing at his stomach. He had loved her dearly for a long time, but something told him she wasn't right, and he didn't know how to break it to her. And, with her head resting on his chest, her pretty face relaxed and peaceful, wispy blonde hair in a complete mess, he could see that he couldn't break her heart.

It wouldn't be hard to find another husband for Astrid - she was beautiful, strong willed and excellent on dragonback. A true Viking, right down to her bones. And as for himself, well he was the son of the chief, the first dragon rider and a damn clever man. And not particularly unfortunate looking since he grew a bit taller and a bit wider. He would have no problems finding a willing wife, he just didn't want anyone from Berk.

Stoick probably had plenty of other women in mind.

Not that his father had a say in who he chose to spend the rest of his life with.

The thought made him smile, and at that point, Astrid woke up. She kissed his jaw.

"What're you smiling about?" She asked, and he shrugged.

"Dunno. Hey, I really am sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to snap"

"It's okay," she reassured him, sitting up. "The move has been hard for everyone, and I know you're stressed about going to see the King"

"Wait, I have to see the King?" He asked, suddenly sitting up. Astrid brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"Well, I don't really know, I just assumed..."

Hiccup leapt out of the bed and got dressed without a word. Toothless was waiting for him just outside, dozing in the morning sun.

He climbed atop the dragon and they galloped through the little makeshift village, which was slowly taking shape.

"Dad?" Hiccup called, once Stoick was in view. The chief was fixing a new saddle to Thornado, preparing for the long trip to the castle.

"What's wrong?"

"Do I have to travel with you to appeal to the king?"

Stoick shook his massive head, and Hiccup relaxed instantly.

"I want you here. You need to learn how to chief if you're to take over one day, and I think that Nightfury of yours might be a bit too intimidating. He's grown a fair bit since you first got him, you know."

Hiccup patted Toothless' head affectionately, grateful that he didn't have to go along.

"I will take Astrid and Stormfly though, if it doesn't bother you"

"No, not at all." It would give him time to sort things out in his head.

xXx

"Hiccup is in charge in my absence. Keep building up the village, I want it looking more like home when I come back." Stoick said to the group of Vikings before him, then he turned to Hiccup, for more specific instructions.

"Take the dragons out hunting, get them used to the terrain and the different animals here, and map out the area. Any other Thunderdrums can go fishing as well, down the cliff. Make sure our livestock is properly taken care of, and keep everyone happy and fed. Gobber is here to help if you need him to"

"Dad, I'll be fine. Just don't scare anyone with the dragons. The girl I met before was terrified of Toothless."

"That big kitten of yours? She should meet a real dragon" Stoick chuckled, and Thornado growled in agreement. Toothless snorted, annoyed.

"If I remember correctly, you were all terrified of Nightfuries back before we made peace with the dragons,"

Stoick didn't reply, only clapped his son on the shoulder (with such force,might I add, that Hiccups knees nearly buckled) and turned his dragon to face the direction of the castle. Then he took to the air with a mighty roar, followed by the other Vikings. Astrid kissed him lightly on the cheek before taking off with Stormfly and settling in formation just in front of Snotlout and Hookfang.

Hiccup waited until they were out of sight, then everyone dispersed. They had a lot of work to do if they were to have the village up to scratch by the time Stoick returned.

xXx

_~Merida~_

Merida tried in vain to make her hair behave itself, muttering curses to herself as it refused to comply. She knew it wasn't ladylike to curse, but if a king could do it (and she had heard her father curse plenty) then surely a princess could get away with it every now and again, if no one was around to hear.

She was having dinner with Ian tonight, just the two of them, as it was Merida's last night with Clan Macintosh, and it was his last chance to impress her. She had chosen a gown of deep red. It was very pretty, but also very heavy, and she rarely wore it, but red was the colour of the Macintosh clan, so she thought it was fitting.

One of the servant women led her down to the small dining room they would share, a much more intimate place than the massive dining hall. Ian was already waiting, dressed quite handsomely in his traditional Scottish tartan. He looked very uncomfortable, which made her crack a smile. He bowed low and kissed her hand, then held out her chair for her to sit.

They were served a beautiful banquet of fowl with a sweet sauce, roasted vegetables and other dishes she hadn't tried before. They were even allowed a glass of wine, which loosened both their tongues until they were speaking freely, without forethought.

"What you did was so brave," he told her, grinning. "I mean, with the lords... breaking tradition and all. I couldn't have done it,"

"You were first to back me up though," Merida countered, picking at the remains on her plate.

"Why wouldn't I?" He asked, placing his hand on hers. Merida's face grew red slightly, and Ian continued.

"Ever since I saw you, princess, I wanted to marry you. Not because I could become king, but because you are not only beautiful, but you have this...fiery passion, a determination in your eyes... I knew I just had to win your hand...or your heart,"

xXx

Merida folded her red gown and gently laid it her saddlebag, running her fingers over the soft fabric. Ian's confession at dinner had made her feel prickly inside, almost guilty. She didn't love him. They had become good friends over the last few days, but she didn't feel that burn in her heart that she always expected to feel. And after hearing how he felt about her, it hurt to think about turning him down.

Was this why marriages were arranged in the past? To prevent heart break?

xXx

Angus shook his head and stood patiently as one of the men saddled him up and loaded Merida's things onto his back. She watched patiently, then turned to Ian and his family.

"Thankyou for having me. I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer, it's been a real pleasure" she addressed Lord Macintosh and his wife. Then she turned to Ian. He bowed to her, as was custom, but she hugged him tightly around the waist anyway.

"I'll see you in a few weeks?" she said, and he smiled at her and nodded. She climbed onto Angus' back and touched her heels to his side, and he darted forward. They rode hard and fast, and soon Castle Macintosh was long behind them. By cutting her trip short by two days, it meant she could visit Hiccup and the dragons for two days before heading out to Clan Dingwall.

xXx

_~Hiccup~_

"Careful...don't scare them" Hiccup instructed as they tried to move the sheep from their temporary corral into the new, permanent one before it got too dark. The village was taking shape now, considering its inhabitants were used to rebuilding quickly and efficiently. By working together, everyone had a home, and a great hall was currently underway. But Hiccup didn't need to be standing over people's shoulders bossing them around when they knew what they were doing, so he was helping Fishlegs and some of the others move the livestock.

"How do you suppose your dad is going with the king?" Fishlegs asked, and Hiccup shrugged.

"Vikings aren't really well known for their diplomacy skills, so we'll probably have some kind of war on our hands in the next couple of days"

Fishlegs laughed, even though he couldn't tell if Hiccup was being serious or not.

"Hiccup! There's someone headed our way!" cried one of the Viking men. Hiccup leapt onto Toothless' back in a heartbeat and followed him. He cracked a smile as he recognised Angus and, of course, Merida's mass of orange curls.

"Don't panic, she's a friend," Hiccup announced, and everyone gathered curiously. Angus started to panic as they neared the unfamiliar village, where the dragons watched curiously.

Merida dismounted a little way away and led Angus the rest, talking to him quietly the whole time. When she got close enough to see Hiccup grin at her, she sped up a little and gave him a hug.

"Told you I'd come back" she said, and node told her he was glad she did. Then he quickly introduced her to the rest of the village, and gave her a tour.

"Obviously there's still a lot to do, but we're getting there."

"It's amazing...I know we couldn't have gotten all this up so fast. And there's so many dragons!"

Hiccup smiled, her excitement contagious. He briefly described the different types of dragons, and she wanted to see them all, so he took her to where they nested. Fishlegs followed, his eyes glued to Merida.

"The main dragons we use for riding are the Deadly Nadder, the Hideous Zippleback, the Gronckle and the Monstrous Nightmare. Toothless is a Nightfury, but he's the only one we've ever come across..."

"Wow... That's amazing."

"Have you eaten? We've just roasted a couple of deer..."

Merida realised she was starving, and nodded eagerly. She sat around a big bonfire and listened to the Vikings tell stories and tear at the deer. Hiccup simply smiled modestly when Spitelout began the story of how he had defeated the Green Death. Merida listened, in awe, as she heard the story from someone else's point of view.

"And this great fireball bigger than the whole island of Berk knocked us all off our feet as the great beast exploded, and Hiccup had vanished. Once the flames had cleared, we found that Toothless had rescued him, and we brought him home. He s didn't wake up for a week... We were all pretty sure we'd lost him... But nothing could take down our dragon boy"

Merida applauded the story harder than anyone, and they stayed up until it was well and truly dark. Then Hiccup showed her to his house.

"You can stay up here," he told her, showing her his and Astrid's bed.

"Are you sure? I don't want to put you out of your bed..."

"No, I've got another one downstairs, so don't worry," he lied. Once she was settled, Hiccup went downstairs and curled up with Toothless in front of the fire.

"Night, bud"

Toothless purred in response.

**A/N**

**Here we are, chapter four. I do apologise for the strange spacing, my iPad really won't let me do stuff the easy way. Also, a big thankyou to Suzettes Blue for beta ing this for me.**

**Anyway, FUN FACT**

**I hate Astrid. I really do. She irks me up the wall. So it's really really hard to write her in a likeable way. I'm trying really hard, but as some of you saw in the last chapter, I sometimes fail at it. **

**Anyway, I wanna get off this machine.**

**Stay Shiny**

**Reviews are beautiful**

**Love Maury**


	5. We've Both Changed

**Chase the Wind**_  
_

___**Chapter Five; We've Both Changed**_

_~Queen Elinor~_

Queen Elinor lifted her skirts to an unladylike height as she ran through the halls of the castle. Maudie had told her she was needed in the Throne Room, and it was urgent. She dropped the skirts and pushed open the doors, composing herself.

She first saw Fergus, sitting on his throne with a scowl on his face, his chin in his hand. Then she saw the Vikings. Dressed in their crude garb, armed to the teeth, and headed by a fearsome looking man who rivalled her husband in sheer size.

And he was seated atop a snarling dragon, clearly uncomfortable with being indoors and surrounded by unfamiliar people.

"What's going on here?" She asked, and Fergus' face softened a little now that he had his wife there to mediate.

"These Vikings have a request for us" the king replied, sounding wary.

"My lady Queen," began the Viking respectfully. "We know our two clans haven't had a pleasant history. But we come to you in our time of need."

Fergus gestured for the chief to continue.

"I am Stoick the Vast, head chief of the Vikings of Berk. Our island can no longer support us, and we come to you in peace, and ask for you to allow us to settle here"

Fergus exchanged a look with Elinor. The Queen was still looking at the dragon, her eyes wide.

"We have an encampment on the coast, a few hours flight from here. There are between eighty and one hundred of us, as well as the dragons"

"Ordinarily, I wouldn't have many hesitations... We are civil men, and happy to provide assistance to those in need. However, these creatures worry me. Should I consider them a threat? Even with that dragon alone, you could have this throne room in a manner of minutes."

"Thornado will not harm any living creature, unless I gave him permission," Stoick replied, touching the dragon affectionately on the head. "And the same goes with the other dragons. We have them trained very well, and understand them better than any other on this earth"

Fergus nodded, interested. Elinor turned to him.

"Well?"

Fergus thought for a moment, and said something quietly to his wife. She whispered something back. Fergus stood up, and addressed Stoick directly.

"In a few weeks, we are holding the Highland Games. After these Games, our daughter, the princess, will choose from her suitors who she will marry. Do you have a son, Stoick?"

xXx

_~Merida~_

Merida snuggled deep into the pillow, breathing in the unusual scent and pulling her legs up to her chest. The bed was incredibly uncomfortable, where was she?

She opened her eyes and gasped. Toothless was staring at her curiously. She sat up, and pushed her hair out of her eyes, grinning as the dragon nudged her gently with his nose.

"I'm getting up, calm down" she giggled, and he wiggled his hindquarters in excitement before leaping down the stairs. He politely turned his head while she pulled on her riding gown, and when she was ready, she went downstairs with him faithfully at her side. Hiccup was nowhere to be found. She looked through the whole house, then outside.

A few of the Vikings said good morning, or hello, and she politely replied. Toothless led her between houses and past livestock to where a large piece of construction had taken place. Hiccup was sharpening a chisel, surrounded by papers weighed down by rocks.

"Morning!" Merida called, and he smiled at her.

"Hey. Sleep well?"

"Better than you, I think. There's only one bed in your house, you liar" she accused playfully. Hiccup shrugged.

"I'm not gonna make a guest sleep on the ground" he told her, going back to sharpening his chisel. Toothless wandered off to examine the building process.

"What're you doing?" Merida asked, sitting beside him and looking at the drawings.

"They're finishing the great hall. Normally it would take us much longer, but we've enlisted the help of a Timberjack who tagged along with us. It's been cutting trees all morning. We'll have it perfect by this evening, if everything goes smoothly"

"So what're these for?" She examined the drawings. Some were of the Vikings fighting the dragons, and others were of them riding the dragons. There was another that was clearly all the Vikings rising up against the Geeen Death. She noticed that Hiccup had, once again, downplayed his involvement in the event.

"Once everything is up, I'll carve these into the pillars and paint them. Vikings are proud of their history, so to make this place feel like home, we need our past up for future generations to see, and learn from."

Merida smiled. A more permanent version of the tapestries in the castle. She had learned how to make a tapestry, but she still needed a bit of practice.

"You're very good" she complimented, and Hiccup smiled at her warmly. Toothless came back, and nudged Merida in the back of the legs impatiently. She patted his head, and he snorted impatiently, flicking his tail.

"He wants you to ride him," Hiccup told her, putting his charcoal down and scratching the dragon behind the ear. Merida stared at him.

"Ride? Like...I would ride Angus, or like you ride him?"

"He wants to fly. We normally go out for a bit each morning, but I had to get started on this. It's not fair for everyone else to work while I mess around."

Fair enough, Merida thought, as Toothless looked up at her with large, pleading eyes.

"I don't know how to fly you, pet" she crooned, and his head drooped.

"Well... I could take you flying later in the day if you'd like?" he offered, and Merida felt the bottom of her stomach drop away. The idea terrified her, but also thrilled her. She could be the first Scot to ever ride a dragon... and she might not get another chance, after marrying one of the lords.

"I..."

Hiccup put a hand on her shoulder. His touch had an instant calming effect. He was a good friend.

"The offer is always there. We don't have to fly. However, you can take him hunting if you like?"

xXx

"I think my mother would skin me if she saw me like this..." Merida muttered, examining herself. Ruffnut had lent her an entire outfit that was designed for dragonback. It was a pair of brown pants (goodness, if her mother saw her wearing pants), light boots and a white shirt with the rigging vest that attached to Toothless' saddle. She slipped on her archery gloves and slung her quiver across her chest.

"Well, your mother isn't here. Just hold on, and let him take you where he needs to go. Riding dragons is a partnership, you have to listen to each other. He won't fly, because you can't work his tail, but he'll jump around and try. If he knocks you about too much, just hold on tight and shout at him to stop. He'll get the gist of what you want."

Merida nodded, sliding onto the saddle. Toothless hummed in anticipation, and Fishlegs was a few feet away with Meatlug, also willing to join the hunt. Even the twins were up for a bit of hunting. She slipped her feet into the stirrups, and leaned forward. Her bow was handed to her, and she was ready to go.

"Alright... as long as he doesn't take off on me, I should be alright...right?"

"Don't worry, we'll look out for you," Fishlegs offered. She smiled at him, and Hiccup stood back as Toothless spread his wings out to their full wingspan. She felt her heart beat loudly, and saw Fishlegs take off to the outskirts of the small village, then Toothless followed. At a slow gait at first, getting her used to the rhythm of his walk, then he sped up. After a rather large leap over a fallen tree, she laughed with glee. She caught the dragon giving her an amused look, and she patted his head, feeling exhilarated.

"This is amazing!" she cried, and Fishlegs and the twins both sped up their dragons in agreement.

xXx

_~Hiccup~_

"You've all done an amazing job, it looks even better than the one back home."

At the mention of Berk, faces dropped a little in spite of the triumph that was the new Great Hall. Only the Timberjack dragon seemed in a good mood. Twice the size of a Monstrous Nightmare, the Timberjack had been the first of its kind to take to the Vikings, and the villagers had taken to calling him Sharpwing.

"Come on guys, this looks fantastic! Fishlegs and the twins should be back soon, and then you'll all be rewarded with a deer or something. We'll eat it right here, in our Great Hall!"

This seemed to cheer the villagers up and they dispersed in a much happier mood. Hiccup frowned, wondering where Merida and Toothless were. They'd been gone for hours.

He approached Sharpwing, and gently petted his foreleg. The dragon lowered its great head and closed his eyes contentedly as Hiccup scratched his chin.

"You did good, big guy" he murmured, looking up at the skies. His face split into a grin as Ruffnut and Tuffnut came into view, their Zippleback carrying something much bigger than a deer. Fishlegs followed on Meatlug, a heavy stag in her jaws. Hiccup looked around for Toothless, and they burst out of the tree line a moment later, Merida's flame coloured curls bouncing around. As she got closer, Hiccup noticed all sorts of leaves and things tangled up in them.

"I ran out of arrows," the girl declared triumphantly, looking perfectly at home astride Toothless. The dragon himself looked exhausted, and basically flopped to the ground once he'd stopped moving. Merida leapt off his back as the other two dragons touched down, dropping their kills as well.

"That's the biggest boar I've ever seen..." Hiccup said, impressed. It had four arrows jammed in it's body - three in its back and one planted firmly in its skull, diving right into its brain.

"You should have seen her!" Fishlegs grinned, jumping off his dragon with more agility than Hiccup has ever seen. "She basically took down that boar all by herself. She chased it and then Toothless jumped over it so she could shoot it in the head. It was incredible!"

"I've been hunting with my dad before," Merida shrugged. "And Toothless is such a good boy...a lot of fun to ride. I wish I had time to go for a fly before I had to leave..."

"Toothless and I could fly you to the other Clans?" Hiccup offered. Toothless gave him a look that clearly said he couldn't take another flight right now.

"What about Angus? I can't leave him here. And I think the Clans would really panic if I met them on a dragon."

Hiccup understood, but he didn't want to see his friend leave so quickly.

"Don't worry, I'll be back in three or four days"

"Really?" He asked, and she nodded.

"Uhuh. Ruffnut, I'll give you back your clothes."

The female twin waved her hand.

"They're old ones that don't fit me anyway. Besides, you more than earned it" she grinned, patting the redhead on the back.

"Seems like you'd make a pretty good Viking, Merida" Hiccup grinned. She smiled sadly and shrugged.

"We'll, thankyou Ruffnut. I'll wear them to death," she promised, and then she headed back to Hiccups house, in order to pack her things and leave for Clan Dingwall.

"I like her," Ruffnut declared suddenly, then turned to help her brother haul the boar into the hall without another word. Hiccup smiled.

xXx

"Well, thanks for letting me stay, and ride your dragon. You should definitely take me flying when I come back," Merida said, hugging Hiccup tightly. Angus tossed his head impatiently.

"If you're not too scared," he teased, and she gave him a playful shove.

She mounted the horse, waved goodbye to the other Vikings (all of them had become very fond of the fiery redhead) and they took off, her quiver full of brand new arrows fashioned by Gobber.

"She'll be back, bud" Hiccup assured Toothless, who was keening softly. He had taken quite a liking to the girl,and had especially enjoyed their hunt through the trees.

"Attention everyone! The boar that Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Merida brought back will be roasted on the spit for all of us to celebrate the completion of the Grand Hall. As for the deer, I want to give it to Sharpwing, for all his help with the hall. Does anyone have any objection to that?"

The villagers agreed with a cheer, and everyone watched as four of the Vikings brothat the stag to Sharpwings feet. The dragon swallowed it in two bites, then graciously lit the fire under the spit in a dramatic display of thanks. Gobber patted his leg as the dragon cleaned his maw of all blood, and the Vikings all settled into the Hall for their feast.

xXx

_~Merida~_

"Welcome to Clan Dingwall, Princess. It is an honour to have you here" Lord Dingwall said with a low bow. She curtsied, smiling like her mother told her to, and wished with all her heart that she was back with the Vikings and the dragons, feasting on wild boar.

"A pleasure, m'lord," she replied.

"You've met my son, William?"

The dopey eyed blonde gave her a shy smile, revealing his huge buck teeth, and gently kissed her hand. She smiled politely, wondering what horrors she would have to face over the next few days.

xXx

**A/N**

**Well well well. A longer chapter this time. I'm trying to make them a bit longer, so it's a bit more enjoyable for you guys. I will admit, this chapter was a buttload of fun. I don't know why, but there's something about Merida running poor Toothless ragged in the thick trees hunting boars.**

**Next chapter is Wee Dingwall's chapter! Oh, the lords are so much fun. Especially MacGuffin, which is why I've saved him for last. Anyway, on with my notes...**

**FUN FACT; I play both Brave and HTTYD so much that my housemates are getting a bit sick of it. I'm pretty sure my boyfriend hides the DVDs on purpose, especially Brave. I wear the pants in my relationship though, so I always find it and watch it anyway. And when I'm sick, they can't complain, so I make the most out of it.**

**This chapter took maybe two days to write for some reason, I just had a massive brain fart and had to keep writing. Also big thankyou to Suzettes Blue for beta-ing. She is amazeface. I love her.**

**Love you all, you make this fic worth writing. Reviews make me cry with happiness.**

**Stay Shiny my lovelies.**

**x Maury**

**PS; If you review, tell me what dragon you would have if you could have one. I personally am partial to the Terrible Terror, but a Skauldron would be brilliant too.**


	6. Astrid Goes for a Spin

**Chase the Wind**

_**Chapter Six; Astrid Goes for a Spin**_

_~Merida~_

The princess stood awkwardly in the library of castle Dingwall. It was a rather substantial library, and she amused herself by perusing the endless volumes of history, poetry and stories. She settled herself in a large red chair with a history book.

'That's one of my favourites,' said William, startling her. Merida smiled shyly and closed the book.

'I've never been very fond of history,' she told him, standing up for him. 'But I remember my father reading these old books, and I loved the pictures, paintings of the battles and the skills of the archers and swordsmen,'

'They were painted just for us by a lord many years ago. I remember him coming here to present us with the book. That's why I like it so much.'

'It's these accounts that made me want to be like my father,' Merida smiled, sitting down and offering the second chair to William.

'I admired the skill of the bow... the grace, and I wanted to be one of those archers. Ride into battle on a proud horse... A sword at my hip and my trusty bow in my hand. Silly, for a princess...but there you have it,'

'I always wanted to be one of the poets,' William confessed. 'I wanted to write beautiful pieces that would be taught to young ladies, and recited at gatherings, but I think my father had other plans. He wanted a son who could win in the games, make the name proud. A son worthy enough to win the hand of a princess, and one day become king...'

William met her gaze, smiling shyly. Merida smiled too, and gently touched his shoulder.

'I know I'm not handsome like Macintosh, or athletic like MacGuffin. But I like you, princess. And...forgive me for saying so...but I would like to make my father proud as well.'

Merida mentally slapped herself. How could she have been so silly, breaking tradition? Between Ian and William, she was guaranteed to break someone's heart. She leaned forward and softly kissed William on the cheek.

'I think you're lovely, William...' she told him quietly. He blushed a little, touching his cheek.

'So I stand a chance?' he asked quietly, and her smile widened.

'Most definitely. Now, William?'

'Yes princess?'

'Merida, please. Would you read to me, please?' she asked, putting the history book on the shelf and pulling out a thick book of poetry. William smiled and nodded.

'Of course...Merida,'

xXx

_~Hiccup~_

Toothless was in time out. He sulked on his bed, a little red patch of paint on his nose. Hiccup was painting a new banner for the Clan of Berk. It was black, with the crest of Berk painted in red. The crest was a dragon curled up, with a smudged looking saddle on its back, a last minute addition to remedy Toothless' curiosity.

He heard the front door swing open, and looked up to see Astrid, her axe on her shoulder. He noticed immediately that it was very blunt - an automatic check after working with Gobber.

'Hey... You're back. Are you alright?' Hiccup asked, standing up to meet her.

'We need to talk,' Astrid told him quietly. Hiccup had never seen her like this before. Her voice wavered like she was going to cry, and she looked like she would fall over at any moment, worn down with exhaustion. He sat her down at their kitchen table and settled beside her, gently rubbing her back.

'What's wrong?'

Was this it? The end of their relationship? Had she finally worked out that they wouldn't last?

'We can't be together anymore. You're...um...' Her eyes overflowed with tears. 'Your dad... he agreed to an arranged marriage...' Hiccup sat back, stunned.

'He...he what?'

xXx

Stoick was obviously feeling very guilty, wilting slightly under his son's furious glare.

'What have you done?' Hiccup demanded to know, voice quivering with anger.

'Hiccup, I...I didn't have a choice. The king ordered me to, and I have sworn to live under him like the other lords. I am truly very sorry, my son. But you will compete in the Highland Games, and then be presented as a suitor for the princess of Dun Broch.'

Hiccup sat down, his hand going to his head in shock.

'Mum wouldn't have wanted this...' He murmured, and Stoick sat beside him, putting a massive hand on his son's back.

'I know. But I didn't know what to do. As chief, and possibly king, you will learn this one day. Not every problem we face is easy, and we make the best of whatever the consequences of our actions are. It is the way of life, Hiccup,'

The young Viking sighed, his head in his hands.

'As it is...you are a bright young man, loyal and clever and fair. You have done things that no other Viking could have done. And I believe you are more than ready to be in a position of power. If you aren't chosen by the princess, you will take over as chief of Berk when you return home.'

xXx

Hiccup crawled into bed beside Astrid, his arm snaking around her waist and pulling her closer to him. She was crying quietly, so he kissed her neck and her shoulder.

'I know we've had problems, Hiccup,' she whispered, and he nodded in agreement. He might not feel the same way he had about Astrid, but it killed him to see her so defeated. She rolled over so they were facing each other, him still holding her small body close to him, and her free hand playing with his dark brown hair.

'I know we've had problems. And I'm not stupid, I can feel us drifting apart. I don't know...what this will do to us. So I'm asking you...do you love me, Hiccup? Will you be with me?'

Hiccup sighed.

'I did. I thought you were all I ever wanted. But ...I just don't feel that spark any more,' he confessed. Astrid was overcome with a fresh wave of tears, and he felt her fingers clench his shirt.

'I sort of feel the same...' She told him, burying her face in his chest. 'But I don't know what I'd do without you, Hiccup. You're the only person I ever considered being with...'

Hiccup kissed the top of her head.

'You'll still be my best friend,' he whispered to her, and she nodded.

'Except for Toothless...' She replied, making him smile.

'Except for Toothless,' he replied. She smiled and hugged him tight.

xXx

_~Merida~_

_"I stand alone on the hillside_  
_The scent of heather about_  
_I am so free of the city_  
_That I leap and dance and shout_

_The curlew and the lapwing_  
_They look for a moment at me_  
_Then they whoop and dive together_  
_For they understand my glee"_

William had the kind of voice that was soothing, that made poetry actually sound pretty. She could have listened to him reading to her all day. She briefly wondered if William even remembered that he was reading to someone, and wasn't just reading the book out loud to himself.

_"I can fancy I hear them singing_  
_As I see them flying along-_  
_"Here is a weary old fellow_  
_Who is still in love with our song_

_"Let us sing him our shrillest and wildest_  
_That it may sink in his heart_  
_And be with him again in the city_  
_When he turns his face to depart"'_

William glanced up at Merida, making sure she hadn't fallen asleep. She smiled widely at him, encouraging him to finish.

_"And over moss and moorland,_  
_They swoop and wheel and sing_  
_Til the very ferns beside me_  
_Begin to quiver and swing_

_And ever, as if from dreamland_  
_The wind brings this echo along -_  
_"Here is a weary old fellow_  
_Who is still in love with our song"'_

William closed the book and gently rested it on his knee.

'What do you think?' he asked, sounding hopeful.

'I might start liking poetry if it was you reading it, Will. You're very good at it,' she complimented, sitting up and moving her hair out of her eyes.

'It's what I love. You're good at archery for the same reasons, no doubt...'

Merida nodded, standing up and stretching her legs. William put the book away, and joined her at the door.

'Would you accompany me to the dining hall?' He asked. Merida had noticed how polite he was, and it made her smile, and nod. Deep down, she knew she might break his heart, but she was enjoying his company too much to worry about it now.

How selfish, she was.

xXx

_~Hiccup~_

'Citizens of Berk!' Stoick addressed the Clan in his deep, booming voice. 'We are thriving. The completion of the village is a milestone, and I wish to thank each and every one of you for all your help with this. I know this has been difficult for all of you. But you have adapted well, like I knew you would. Let this be known; we may be under Scottish rule, but we will never forget who we are deep down. We are Vikings! And we will make our mark on this land!'

The Vikings cheered, stirred up by the leaders great passion. Hiccup groaned internally, knowing what came next.

'Now, in a month or two, the king holds his annual Highland Games. We will attend, and we will do our Clan proud. And my son, Hiccup, will be vying for the hand of the Princess of Scotland herself!'

This was old news in the village. Snotlout had made sure to tell everyone that Hiccup and Astrid were no longer dating. He seemed to find some sort of twisted joy in the fact. But they still applauded Hiccup, all knowing that the decision had cost him a relationship that should have ended in marriage and a family of his own.

'Now, I know it hasn't been easy on the lad, but I know you will all support him, and we will all do our best to make our Clan stand out in the upcoming games. Gobber?'

'Yes?' replied the blonde Viking, stepping forward.

'We start training. Everyone who wishes to compete. If they want us to be compliant, well, we'll give them a Highland Gathering they won't forget,'

xXx

**A/N**

**Aha! I finally did it!  
I just want all of you to realise how difficult this chapter was to write. If it weren't for the combined efforts of Suzette's Blue, the IntergalacticKoala and Rowan Kline, I wouldn't have this here for you today. They are all amazing people. I love you all.  
Intergalactic Koala even did me a spot of fanart for this fic, which makes me simply thrilled. It's beautiful, I love it, and you should follow her on Tumblr, because she is amazeface. Link is in my profile!**

**FUN FACT: This chapter was written in part, six times. I deleted all of it this morning, and with help, managed to pump out something I was happy with. And I tried as hard as I could to make Astrid likeable, so please let me know if I did well. It means so much to me to please you guys, and I want you all to be happy and enjoy my work. **

**Thankyou for your patience, and all the reviews.  
You really make me proud of my stuff, and also want to write for you.**

**Stay perfectly Shiny, my lovelies**  
**xo Maury**

**PS: If you leave a review, tell me which of the Lords you would ship Merida with? Macintosh, Dingwall or MacGuffin?  
I personally love Dingwall, but ship Merida & Macintosh, if Hiccup was out of the picture, of course. **


	7. The Downed Dragon

**Chase the Wind**  
_**Chapter Seven; The Downed Dragon**_

_~Merida~_

It was a particularly cloudy day when Merida left the Dingwall Clan. Angus was itching to get going, because he hadn't been ridden in three days. Merida thanked Lord and Lady Dingwall for their hospitality, and then turned to William. He had a package wrapped in brown paper and string in his hands, which he handed to her.

'I know you're not fond of poetry, but I put together this for you. The binding is a bit crude, and some of the poems aren't as good...but I thought you might like it,' he said, smiling at her affectionately. Merida gave him a tight, one armed hug.  
'Thankyou so much, William. I love it,'

'Are you sure you can't stay longer?' William asked, taking her hand. Merida felt slightly guilty as she shook her head.  
'I'm sorry, William, but I have to see MacGuffin before tomorrow. There are things I must do before everyone gathers for the games.'

With that, they parted ways, Merida feeling the same sadness gnawing at her stomach as Angus clopped away that she had felt leaving Clan Macintosh. But like the last time, the knowledge that she would be seeing Hiccup soon lifted her spirits. She dug her heels into Angus' sides, and the horse darted forward with a shrill whinny, happy to be running free again.

xXx

_~Hiccup~_

Hiccup was still getting used to waking up to the knowledge that he wouldn't find Astrid either beside him or downstairs waiting for him. They saw each other every day - she was throwing herself into training for the Games, and he was training a few of the younger children who had been deemed old enough to go through dragon training. Their days were filled with sad, but friendly smiles.

He made the bed with a yawn, patted Toothless on the nose and went downstairs. He made himself some breakfast and sat at his table, as Toothless leapt down to join him.  
'What're we gonna do today, bud?' he asked, and Toothless wiggled his haunches excitedly. 'You wanna fly? We can do that. Lets go!'

He climbed onto Toothless' back and they went outside. The Vikings were settling into life in the new village, and so were the dragons.  
'Hiccup!' It was Fishlegs. The boy came running to them, a worried expression on his face.  
'Whats the matter?'  
'A dragon just died. We don't know why...'

Hiccup slid off of Toothless and followed Fishlegs without a word. There was a little hut where ill dragons were treated by Fishlegs, who had dedicated his life to learning their physiology. Sometimes he couldn't save them though, and Hiccup knew he needed another dragon expert to help work out why - and he liked to keep an eye on his friend anyway. Fishlegs was a sensitive soul, and he always felt terrible if he couldn't do anything to save a dragon.

On the iron table was the tiny body of a very sickly looking Terrible Terror. Her scales should have been shiny and bright, but instead they were dull and lifeless, not the brilliant blue he expected to see on a dragon her age. Her body was small, even for a Terror, which suggested that something had been wrong with her for a long time.

'She couldn't move when she came in here, but I couldn't make her any better. She died this morning. It's not something I've seen before' Fishlegs explained, sitting down at his desk. Hiccup could see at least two versions of the dragon manual as well as papers everywhere with Fishlegs' tiny scrawled notes on them. Even a detailed drawing of the anatomy of the dragon that Hiccup had once drawn him, after they dissected one that turned out to have swallowed something poisonous.

He turned the dragon over and examined her body, making his own notes and occasionally asking Fishlegs to compare. Finally, he said;  
'She laid eggs in the last few days. How long has she been here?'  
'There were only two. It was while she was here, and I've put them in the other room with the fire. They're tiny, I don't think they'll make it, but I thought... Just in case,'

'No, I understand. Better to be safe than sorry. I think she was just the runt of her litter. Malnourished, just got the wrong end of the stick, really.'  
'Oh, you had that too. Either that, or some kind of infection.'  
'You know, Fishlegs, you really don't need to be double checking all this stuff with me. You know more than I do about all this,' Hiccup told him with an amused smile, moving to the back room where the eggs were.

Fishlegs followed him, smiling.  
'I know. But I like having your opinion too, and besides, you're my friend Hiccup. You're always welcome here. And I was worried about you...after the whole Astrid thing...'  
Hiccup approached the crackling fire, where the two tiny Terror eggs were. One had a tiny split in its shell.

'I'm okay, Fishlegs. I mean, arranged marriage isn't really our thing, and I don't really want to be a King, but if my dad says there was no way out of it, then I believe him. This egg has died,' he added, pointing to the cracked one. 'See that? Eggs don't crack unless they're hatching. This one was already dead and the fire split the shell.'

Fishlegs wrapped his hands in some rags and gently lifted the broken egg out of the fire. The rags singed a little, but he was otherwise unharmed.  
'Sorry little guy,' Fishlegs murmured, and Hiccup put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

xXx

_~Merida~_

The Viking village was up and working hard when Merida got there. Angus tossed his head, still wary of the dragons but slowly getting used to their presence. There were more dragons than before, as well as Vikings she hadn't met before. They were all practicing on a rough, makeshift sports ground, while several Vikings on heavy set dragons built some kind of stone arena on the other side of the village.

She was spotted by a young Viking woman with blonde hair and a fierce, determined expression.  
'Hey!' she called, shouldering her axe. 'Who are you?'  
'Oh, hey Merida,' Tuffnut waved to her, and she waved back at him, sliding off of Angus' back.

'Hi, I'm Merida. I don't think we've met before,' Merida held out her hand, and the blonde took it.  
'Oh, you're a Scot. I'm Astrid.'  
'Its nice to meet you. I was watching you spar before. You're very good,' Merida complimented, gently stroking Angus' nose to calm him down.  
'The best,' Astrid grinned at her. 'Do you spar?'

'I'm handy with a sword,' Merida replied. 'Maybe we could have a round later?'  
'I'll hold you to it,' Astrid said, turning back to Tuffnut.

She put Angus in one of the sheep pens that Hiccup had told her she could use the last time she was here, then went to find her one-legged friend. He wasn't in his house, or the hall, and he wasn't overseeing the arena building. Although Ruffnut was helping, and she was delighted to see Merida, and gave her a hug.  
'Do you know where Hiccup is? I haven't seen him today...'

'He's helping Fishlegs with something, they've been in the Dragon Hut all morning,' Ruffnut told her, pointing to the hut furthest from the Great Hall. Toothless was curled up outside, watching a butterfly. Merida briefly wondered if her was considering chasing it, like the old stable cat chased mice back at home.

Toothless jumped up when he saw her, and she was almost bowled over by him. She scratched his neck and gave him a shove so she could get to her feet.  
'I missed you too, little pup,' she laughed. 'Where's Hiccup?'

'I'm here.' Hiccup grinned, opening the door. 'I wondered what had made him so excited all of a sudden.' Merida quickly closed the space between them and gave him a tight hug.  
'How are you?' she asked, and he stood back to let her inside.  
'I'm alright. We're just monitoring an egg. It might not make it.'

Merida peered around the room curiously, examining the drawings on the walls and reading the notes that were scattered across the floor. Fishlegs gave a bright grin when he saw her.  
'Merida! Uhm, hello!' he smiled, then turned his attention back to Hiccup. 'I think it's hatching!' he declared, making Merida's curiosity grow and Hiccup's eyes grow wide.  
'What, now? Oh no... quick, we have to get it outside!' Hiccup suddenly ran to the room with the fire and carried an egg carefully out the back door. Fishlegs and Merida followed quickly, the redhead thoroughly confused.

The Viking gently placed the egg down in the pen out the back and ran back to the door, where the others were. They waited maybe thirty seconds before there was a small explosion. Merida squeaked and hid behind Hiccup, holding onto his shoulders firmly and squeezing her eyes shut.  
'It's nice to know that, in the face of danger, you'd use me as a human shield,' Hiccup chuckled, and Merida peeked over his shoulder.  
'Shut up,' she muttered, standing away from him and waving the dirt out of her face.

Hiccup laughed as he approached the space where the egg had been sitting.  
'Merida, come look at this,'

xXx

_~Hiccup~_

The look on her face said it all. Awe and surprise and love, it was all there. It made his heart skip a beat. Cradled in his hand was a baby Terrible Terror. It was male, with dull black scales and blue highlights on his spine and wings. He was breathing heavily, and had curled up to keep himself warm.

'He hatched too early...' Fishlegs commented.  
'...oh,' Merida's face fell, and she reached out to touch him, but Hiccup pulled him back.  
'He needs a bit of time yet. We have to keep him warm while his scales harden and he works out what's going on'

He immediately felt bad as her face fell, and he took her hand with his free hand.  
'C'mon. He'll be okay,' he assured her, taking her back inside, with the baby Terror in his cupped hand, held against his stomach. He and Merida watched as Fishlegs made a nest of blankets for the dragon, and then Hiccup gently placed the dragon inside. It breathed a little puff of smoke from it's nostrils, and snuggled into the blankets.

'Will it live?' Merida asked, and Hiccup exchanged a glance with Fishlegs.  
'We've saved premature dragons before, but there's a high chance that he might now make it. The next few hours will be pretty important,' Fishlegs told her.  
'Then I'll help! What can I do? I don't want the wee thing to die...' she said, sitting down in the chair beside the nest.

'You and I can't really do much at the moment. Fishlegs knows what he's doing, so how about you and I go get some fresh air, and we'll come back in a few hours and check up on him, okay?'

Hiccup put an arm around Merida's shoulders and walked her out of Fishlegs' hut. Toothless was waiting impatiently outside, and he wiggled his haunches in excitement.  
'You know... I promised Toothless we'd fly today. Do you wanna come with?'  
Merida perked up instantly.  
'Yes! Yes please! I'll go and put on the clothes Ruffnut gave me!' she declared, and took off towards his house.

As he was saddling up Toothless, Astrid approached them.  
'Who's the redhead?' she asked, and Hiccup smiled a greeting at her.  
'Her name's Merida. She visits around here every few days. She loves the dragons,' he told her, standing up.  
'Yeah, right. The dragons,' Astrid replied, shifting her weight to her back leg.

'What's that supposed to mean?' he asked, standing up straight.  
'You can't see she likes you, you big dummy?' she replied, and Hiccup stared at her blankly. 'You're aware that you're actually a really nice, good looking, clever guy, right? I mean...girls like you. It happens a lot-'  
'It does?'  
'-only this time you can't afford to fall for her too because you are _already betrothed to someone else_,' Astrid continued, as though he hadn't said anything at all.

Hiccup shook his head.  
'Astrid... Merida is just my friend, okay? And you don't have to remind me about the betrothal...thing. It's always on my mind, alright?'  
'I'm sorry. I just don't want you falling for someone else and then realising you can't have her. Because it's a really sucky feeling,' she finished, and he nodded, understanding her point.

'Thankyou, but... Merida is just a friend. I'm taking her for a ride, so...we'll be back soon, yeah?'

Merida chose that moment to come back in her dragon riding gear. She grinned at him.  
'Lets go!'

xXx

Hiccup was always most comfortable in the saddle. Merida, however, was terrified and excited at the same time. He could feel it as she sat down behind him.  
'Okay, now... this is probably gonna be really scary. But once you get over that, it's amazing. And I promise you, Merida, that I won't let you fall okay?'  
She nodded, hugging him tightly around the waist.

'Okay Toothless... nice and slow...'  
Hiccup was fully aware of the fact that Toothless had no intention of going 'nice and slow'. But he needed to calm Merida down - he couldn't breathe.

Toothless took a run at the cliff and jumped off the ledge. Then they fell. Merida held him tightly, her face buried in his shoulder. But she didn't scream.

Just as they neared the rocks, Hiccup changed the direction of the dragons tail, and Toothless opened his wings. They immediately filled with air, and they skimmed across the rough sea. Merida chanced a peek and her grip on him began to loosen a little.  
'Touch it,' Hiccup told her, and she hesitantly reached out her arm. Toothless turned his body on the angle so she could brush the surface of the water with her fingertips.

It sprayed up and caught them both, making her laugh. Toothless beat his wings, and they traveled higher, back up over the cliff face and then over the village of Berk. A few of the Vikings waved up at them, and Merida waved back.  
'This is incredible, Hiccup!' she called, and Hiccup smiled back at her.  
'Wanna go faster?'  
'Yes!'  
'Higher?'  
'Yes!' she cried, and Hiccup instructed Toothless to fly as high as the clouds. They grew damp flying through them, and a whole world with a fluffy floor was spread out for them. Merida gasped in awe.

'Oh my god... Hiccup...' She let go of his waist and lifted her arms above her head. Hiccup patted Toothless on the neck and Merida laughed loudly.  
'Isn't this great?'  
'Oh, I wish I could spend the rest of my life up here,' she told him, her arms snaking around his waist again as Toothless dipped into a dive back through the clouds.  
'It's pretty fantastic,' he agreed. 'I know we haven't been up here long, but do you want to go see the Terror? He should be getting a little livelier now...'  
'Okay,' Merida replied. She seemed perfectly content. Hiccup considered what Astrid had said - could Merida actually like him like that? He was suddenly aware of how closely she was holding herself to him, her hands entwined together over his navel, her wild curls tickling his neck.

Toothless landed lightly outside the dragon arena, and Hiccup unlatched his prosthetic before expertly sliding off. He held out a hand and Merida took it, her legs almost giving way as she stood on solid ground.  
'You alright?' he asked, and she grinned up at him.  
'Yeah. Just give me a moment, and we can go see the baby dragon,' she told him, and Hiccup nodded.

xXx

**A/N**

**I don't know what happened here.**  
**Like, I actually don't. **

**All I know is that if I didn't stop here, it would have taken me another few days to write and post and edit, and it's just not worth the hassle. **  
**But yeah, this chapter totally ran away from me. It is now a double chapter. A present from me to you. I suppose it means I can delay the MacGuffin chapter for a bit too. Anyway.**

**FUN FACT: My regular beta, Suzette's Blue, currently dying from a head cold right now, and is of no use to me whatsoever. So I must thank Rowan Kline for beta-ing for me. This chapter goes out to my darling Suzette, because she is lovely and needs to get better. Also, fun fact part two, this was another difficult chapter. I hope you enjoy. **

**Review please, my darlings. It makes me ever so happy.**  
**Stay Shiny**  
**x Maury**


	8. Focus, Hiccup!

**Chase the Wind  
_Chapter Eight; Focus, Hiccup!_**

_~Merida~_

Fishlegs' hut smelled like fish. To Hiccup, this was perfectly normal, but Merida wrinkled her nose in disgust at the stench. Fishlegs himself was cutting up a freshly caught salmon, dicing it into little pieces. He looked up at them.

'You can go and look at him now. It's been a few hours, so he's awake, and his scales have gone hard, so you can play with him too. Then I'll bring this in and we can feed him!'

Merida pushed past Hiccup and opened the door to the room where the dragon was. It was chewing on one of the blankets, with the remains of another one strewn across the room. It paused in its destruction to look at the newcomers curiously with bright eyes, decided that they were uninteresting and went back to destroying its makeshift nest.

'Mother dragons usually use stone or sticks to make their nests. That way when the hatchlings get restless, the nest can be easily fixed,' Hiccup told her, gently lifting the Terror out of its blankets. It squeaked in protest, digging his claws into Hiccups skin.

'He's so little...' Merida smiled, gently petting him on the head with a single forefinger. The dragon snapped at her hand playfully.

'Well, he's a Terrible Terror. They only grow about as big as a cat. But they're very sweet dragons, if a little mischievous. Here, you wanna hold him?'

Merida nodded nervously, and she sat down in the chair and held out her hands. Hiccup coaxed the squeaking dragon to unhook his claws from his vest, then put him gently in Merida's hands. She grinned up at Hiccup as the dragon unfurled its wings, clearly not happy being manhandled.

'He's so cute...' she said softly, stroking the soft spines on his back. The dragon stopped its whining, suddenly happy with all the attention. It let out a little purring sound, and Hiccup grinned at her.

'You're a natural. He loves you,' Fishlegs told her, bringing in a bowl filled with cut up fish.

The dragon was suddenly not interested in being petted, at the smell of food. It started up its squeaking and struggling, and Merida struggled to keep him from running away. She was grateful for the thick leather and padding of her riding gear, because the dragons claws would have torn through her woollen hunting gown.

'Hiccup, help,' she muttered, grabbing the dragon around the middle.

Hiccup picked up a cube of fish and held it out on his flat hand. The Terror snapped it up, his whole body relaxing instantly. Merida let him go, and he sat quietly on her lap, licking his chops as Hiccup held another piece of fish out. Merida watched as the dragon snapped that up too. This continued on until all the fish was gone, and the baby dragon began to get restless again, leaping up onto the table and sticking his face in the empty bowl.

'Little Fafnir, you greedy mite,' she smiled, picking him up again and putting him on her lap.

'Fafnir?' Hiccup asked, and Merida shrugged.

'There's a story that I remember my mother used to tell me about a greedy dwarf named Fafnir. He was so greedy that he was turned into a dragon and forced to spend the rest of his life guarding his treasure from thieves. It's also the only dragon name I know...'

'You know, if you've named him, he's your dragon,' Hiccup told her, and Merida's face lit up.

'Really!?' she said, standing up suddenly. Fafnir squeaked in protest, hanging on to her riding vest desperately. Merida helped him up onto her shoulder before giving Hiccup a tight hug.

'Oh, thank you so much! Thank you, thank you!' She then hugged Fishlegs, who hugged her back tightly.

xXx

_~Hiccup~_

'Are you completely out of your mind?' Astrid asked, leaning on the doorframe. Hiccup was adding more wood to his fire, with Toothless curled up beside him.

'What have I done now?' he replied, standing up.

'You gave her a dragon! And Fishlegs is taking her through the dragon manual as we speak! Do we just trust every stranger who walks in here now?'

'Merida is a good friend, and I do trust her. Besides, Fafnir loves her. I don't think we could have pried him away,'

Astrid snorted at the name.  
'What do you think her Clan will do when she goes home with a dragon on her shoulder? You need to think these things through. I don't care what feelings you have for the girl, you need to stop and think about what would happen if you turned down the princess' hand for a common girl. Great start to a new life here. The king would have our heads!'

'Astrid, stop it,' Hiccup snapped. 'You're not my mother, so stop telling me what I can and can't do. I trust Merida, isn't my trust enough for you?'

Astrid scowled, and left the house, leaving Hiccup with his thoughts and his dragon.

xXx

Hiccup woke up the next morning to someone rapping on his door. He shuffled out of bed, his prosthetic squeaking with every other step. Merida's bright smile greeted him at the door.

'Are you always this cheerful in the morning, or is today a special occasion?' he yawned, standing back to let her in.

'Most mornings,' she replied, waltzing in and petting Toothless on the head affectionately. Fafnir was sitting on her shoulder, taking in his surroundings.

'I have to go to the next Clan today, as you know, but I was thinking, and it might not be a good idea to take Fafnir to the clans. Can you look after him for a few days while I'm there? I don't want him being taken away from me...'

'Yeah, course. He's still a little on the small side, so we'll just keep an eye on him.'

Merida thanked him and sat down at the table. The little dragon crawled down her arm and started playing with a wooden spoon.

'I don't think Astrid likes me,' she said suddenly, taking Hiccup by surprise. He sat down opposite her, and Toothless sniffed at the new hatchling, making Fafnir curiously sidle up to the Nightfury.

'What makes you say that?'

'I don't know. She looks at me like I'm poisonous.'

'Don't worry about Astrid. She can be cold, but she can also be a fiercely loyal friend,' Hiccup told her. Merida didn't look convinced. She just stroked her dragon, who purred at the attention.

'I guess I should go, huh?' Merida asked, after several minutes of the two of them watching Fafnir tease Toothless.

'No... you don't have to go...' Hiccup told her, almost reaching out to take her hand, but changing direction last minute and stroking Fafnir instead. The dragon turned around and snapped playfully at his fingers.

'I should. I just want to get these visits over and done with so I can just... have my time...' she muttered, and Hiccup sighed, disappointed.

He walked her out to where Angus had already been saddled. The horse sniffed at Fafnir curiously, and the hatchling sniffed back, having never met a horse before. Merida handed the dragon to Hiccup before jumping up into the saddle.  
'Well... I'll see you around, I guess,' she told him, and Hiccup nodded in reply.

'You know, Merida... you're always welcome here. Astrid will cool off eventually, and I'm sure you'll get along. I really- well, we all really like having you here...'

'Especially me, though,' Snotlout called, passing on Hookfang. He gave the redhead a flirty wink, and Hiccup scowled at him.

'Thanks,' Merida said softly with a smile. 'I'll see you when I see you, Hiccup...'

'Yeah. Bye Merida,' he replied. Fafnir let out a soft keening noise as the horse galloped away from the Viking village, and Hiccup patted him on the head. 'Yeah, buddy, I know...'

xXx

_~Merida~_

Angus was exhausted by the time they got to Clan MacGuffin, and they were both soaked by the random torrential downpour that had started up maybe an hour ago. She was grateful that she'd left her poetry book with the Vikings, just in case. She was welcomed warmly by Lord and Lady MacGuffin, and whisked upstairs by Lady MacGuffin in an instant. Her name was Heather, and she gave Merida a pretty white gown to wear while her own clothes dried.

'Thankyou...I don't mean to be a burden,' Merida had said, trying to dry her hair without knotting it too much.

'Not at all, would you like some help with that?' Heather asked, and Merida sat down and let Heather dry her hair. She chattered on about how she'd always wanted a daughter to dress up and have girl time with, but had only been given sons - not that she didn't love her sons.

'Where is Young MacGuffin?' Merida asked curiously, admiring the braid Heather had managed to work her hair into.

'Colin? Oh, he's probably in the kitchens. He likes learning how the maids prepare everything. Quite a good cook, that young man,'

Something about her tone made Merida suspect that she wasn't being told the full story.

'If you don't mind, I might go down there now and just...introduce myself.'

xXx

Merida pushed open the door to the kitchens, and her jaw dropped open in shock. There was Colin, as his mother had said, but he wasn't helping prepare food. He had locked lips with one of the maids.

xXx

_~ Stoick ~_

Stoick had never really thought about it, but he had currently decided that it was pure dumb luck his son had turned out so well, considering the circumstances. His mother had died early on, and Stoick didn't know anything about childcare. And as Hiccup had grown older, they hadn't been able to talk as freely as father and son should. But now he was sitting opposite Hiccup, and he looked wrecked.

'Dad, I don't think I can just...marry someone I don't know...' he muttered. Stoick sighed.

'I know...and I'm sorry, Hiccup. I didn't want this to happen...'

'She's a princess...she's probably some snotty lady who wears...poofy dresses and corsets, doesn't ride or shoot or dance or put more than one pea in her mouth at a time. I'm not the most traditional viking, but I'm no Scottish king...dad,' Hiccup growled in frustration, standing up and rubbing the back of his neck.

'...is this about Merida?' Stoick asked. Hiccup started, then looked up at him, thinking.

'...yeah dad. I think it might be,'

xXx

**A/N  
****I know, I suck.  
There's just been loads of shite happening recently, and I haven't had any motivation but that's okay because I was on tumblr and I saw a gifset that was...pretty much this fic and felt insanely guilty, and I really hope you can all forgive me.**

**FUN FACT: Rowan Kline, a dear friend of mine, shares a birthday with me, which is in about ten days. So this chapter is for him. Love you little brother. **

**Also; if you wanna see a drawing of Fafnir and Merida by the ever-lovely IntergalacticKoala, link is in my profile. It's totally worth looking at because I think it's adorable.**  
**Sorry again, I'll try and get motivated.**  
**Stay Shiny, and thankyou for being patient with me**  
**x Maury**


	9. Forbidden Friendship

**Chase the Wind  
_Chapter Nine; Forbidden Friendship_**

_~ Merida ~_

Before Merida could say anything, the maid had disappeared through another door, her face bright red. Colin gave her an awkward look, then walked over to her.

'I don't-'

'Wait... before you say anything... can I just explain?' Colin pleaded, cutting her off. She nodded, and he took her hand, leading her up several flights of stairs and into a tiny drawing room with an armchair, side table and a bookcase jammed inside. Colin gestured for her to sit on the chair, which she did, and he stood opposite her. They were silent for a moment, before he took a deep breath and told her.

'Princess Merida...I'm sorry, but...I can't marry you.'

Merida raised an eyebrow in surprise. 'Why not?'

'Because there's another girl that I'm in love with. And I understand that if you choose to marry me, that I have no choice but to accept, but I will always love her, and there isn't a thing in the world that would change that.'

It sounded rehearsed, Merida could hear that. It was as if he'd been playing the conversation over and over in his mind, in preparation for meeting her, but he hadn't expected to be caught out. Her heart went out to him; she herself had wanted the choice to choose love. She'd received her wish, in a botched kind of way, but he could have exactly what he wanted. Who was she to deny someone love?

She realised that, while she had been thinking, he had stopped talking and looked incredibly nervous.

'Okay,' she said, and confusion crossed his features.

'I'm sorry?' he asked, and she stood, her gown falling to the floor.

'I won't ask you to marry me. I know that if it were me in that position, I would want the Prince to leave me be. So, as long as I get an invitation to your wedding, please, by all means, don't worry about anything, alright?'

Colin looked both surprised and thrilled, all at once. She giggled as he started a long line of thank-yous and gave her a hug.

'...please excuse me, princess, but...I need to go tell Bonnie... she'll be so happy...'

xXx

Merida could almost feel the happiness radiating from Colin as they sat at the dining table at dinner. His family could feel it too, and could only assume that he had had a very successful day wooing the princess. But Merida could also see the spring in Bonnie's step as she moved around the table, topping up drinks and serving different dishes that had been made in her honour. Merida happily chatted with Heather, who was younger than her own mother, and much easier to talk to.

When she retired to her bedroom, Merida couldn't help but think about her little Fafnir, what he was doing and if he was okay. He had curled up beside her and purred as he fell asleep, like a scaly cat with leathery wings and twice as warm, considering the fire in his belly. She crawled into bed, reading all the notes Fishlegs had written her instead, studying them intensely. She jumped at a knock on the door, and smiled simply when Bonnie poked her head in.

'Do you mind if I come in?' she asked, and Merida sat up, gesturing for her to sit on the bed. 'I just wanted to thank you for what you did for us... me and Colin... it means a lot,'

'It's alright. I want to marry for love as well, and it's not fair of me to ruin a perfectly good relationship. And when you're Lady MacGuffin one day, you'll have to come and stay at the castle,' the redhead replied. Bonnie gave her a small smile, face going red. She was a pretty girl, with pale brown wispy hair, and warm brown eyes.

'Do you have any idea who you will choose... if that's not too bold to ask...?' she asked, and Merida shrugged, her curls falling in her face.

'I really don't know. Both the boys are so nice and would make a good husband... but I don't think I love them...' she replied. Bonnie gave her an apologetic smile, as if she didn't envy the decision at all (and why should she?), and excused herself for bed. Merida sighed. What was she going to do for the next two days if Colin wasn't going to try to please her? She could be with the Vikings right now, playing with Fafnir and talking with Hiccup. Merida snuggled down into the thick blankets and eventually fell asleep.

xXx

'Have we done something offend, Princess?' asked Lord MacGuffin, as Merida packed her things into Angus' saddlebags. Lord and Lady MacGuffin had been trying to stop her from leaving for an hour now, while Colin just stood back and watched with a blank expression.

'No, no... of course not. I just...' Merida had been up all night thinking of an excuse to leave. It's not that they had offended her, she just didn't see the point in staying if Colin wasn't trying to win her affections.

'Please, if we've done something wrong, my lady, please let us make up for it...' Lady MacGuffin pleaded, taking Merida's hand.

'No, not at all. I've had a wonderful time, I really have... I just... I haven't been home in so long, and...'

'Oh, you poor thing. Homesickness... of course, go home and see your family,' the woman said, giving her a gentle hug. Merida gave her a weak smile.

'And please... to make up for the days Colin lost... feel free to come to the castle a little earlier than the other Clans...' she offered, lifting herself up onto Angus' back.

xXx

_~ Hiccup ~_

Hiccup was miserable.

He was sitting at Fishlegs' wooden table with Fafnir curled up on his lap, full of fish. Toothless lay on the floor beside them, in front of the fire, also full of fish. He had explained his problem to Fishlegs, who was cutting up bread.

'I knew that from the moment you brought her in here. She's lovely, and she fits right in with all us Vikings,'

Hiccup's face fell into his hands, and he groaned. 'I can't marry someone I don't know when I have feelings for someone else.'

'So tell your dad you can't do it. Tell him to send Snotlout instead,' Fishlegs suggested, which coaxed a smile from Hiccup.

'Can you imagine Snotlout as king? Scotland would burn faster than Hookfang in a temper...' he grinned, and Fishlegs chuckled along with him. Hiccup and Fishlegs had become fast friends in recent years, due to their mutual love of dragons. It was a friendship he treasured. Toothless burped, and woke up Fafnir, who climbed down and began to pounce on his tail. Toothless hissed a warning, but allowed to the smaller dragon to keep playing.

'She'll be back here in a few days to pick up Fafnir before she goes home... I'll think about talking to her then, but I think it's probably best if I don't say anything until after the Games, after the princess has made her decision.'

'Have you done any training for the Games yet?' Fishlegs asked, and Hiccup raised an eyebrow. 'I'm assuming you'll have to compete...'

Hiccup groaned. Things were going from bad to worse very, very quickly.

xXx

Snotlout looked as if Hiccup had asked him to marry Astrid and become chief all at once.

'You want me... to beat the living snot out of you?' he clarified, shouldering his axe. Hiccup groaned. He knew this was a bad idea, but he wasn't going to ask Astrid.

'No, I want you to help me train for the Games.'

'Yeah but... what if I kill you?'

Hiccup gave him a look, while Fishlegs stifled a snort. Snotlout handed Hiccup a sword, and smirked with amusement as Hiccup struggled to lift it. He threw it down and selected a lighter sword, then took up a fighting stance. Snotlout examined it with a critical eye, and pointed out several apparently major flaws in his stance alone.

Although Snotlout was unbearably arrogant, he was a terrific fighter, and Hiccup could see that he was really trying to teach him. After an hour, Hiccup was bruised and battered (they'd switched to wooden swords because Snotlout was insistent that he could kill Hiccup with one accidental swipe) and no closer to defeating anyone in the Games, unless they incorporated dragon events or maybe drawing.

'This isn't working, Snotlout, but thanks, I guess,' Hiccup muttered, dropping the sword at his side. 'I think I'll just stick to dragon riding,'

'Whatever. I'm sure they don't care if you can swing a sword. You've done cooler stuff that overshadows all that...' Snotlout said, picking up the wooden sword and leaning on it. Hiccup stared at him.

'Wow. Was that a compliment I just heard there?'

'Yeah. Don't get used to it, twigbrain... I just like having Hookfang around. He may be as dumb as a post, but he's a good friend...'

With that, Snotlout turned and walked over to one of his regular sparring buddies, picking up a mace with ease as he did so. Hiccup exchanged a look with Fishlegs, and they left the training area together, Toothless trotting along behind them and Fafnir riding on Fishlegs' shoulder.

xXx

Toothless skimmed the surface of the trees, scaring deer and other animals hiding in the trees. Hiccup had needed a flight to help him clear his head. He hadn't taken the dragon out for a long flight in a few days, what with Fafnir taking up a lot of his time. The little dragon was getting more mischievous, although he hadn't bothered trying to fly yet, content to just sit on shoulders or on Toothless' back.

'How're you doin, bud?' Hiccup asked, and the dragon purred in response. They dropped into the trees, and found what used to be a house of some kind. It looked like it'd blown up, with bits of charred wood all over the place that had grown over with weeds. Birds chittered in the trees, and Toothless sniffed around, picking up on a familiar scent. There were the remains of a campfire - the person who had made them was long gone.

Toothless wiggled his haunches in excitement and began to explore, but Hiccup could see there wasn't anything here. He wanted to see the castle or something exciting. He pulled Toothless into the middle of the clearing, climbed on his back and took off. He'd remember this place for next time he needed some privacy.

The Scottish countryside was beautiful, Hiccup couldn't deny that. But the thick clouds were damp and cold, and it started to rain. They circled around, and found themselves following a road through the hills. Toothless gave a happy little growl, and suddenly dropped in height. Underneath them, Angus the horse shrieked in fear and threw his redheaded rider to the ground.

xXx

_~ Merida ~_

Merida coughed as all the wind was knocked out of her, and gasped as she fell in a puddle of mud. It was cold and thick and she groaned as it was in her hair. She looked up, shielding her eyes from the rain. Angus was dancing about in the mud, and snorted as Toothless landed a little way away. Hiccup dismounted and ran over to her as fast as he could, with his prosthetic getting stuck in the mud.

'Merida? Are you alright?' he asked, lifting her to her feet. Her gown was wrecked, heavy with mud and rain, her hair was plastered to her head and face, and to be honest, she wasn't alright. Her deadline was getting closer and closer, and soon she'd be married. She wound her arms around his neck, and coughed out a sob.

She was vaguely aware of him trying to lift her up, and she shook her head.

'I'm fine... I'm fine... lets just get out of the rain...' she told him, climbing back onto Angus. She met his gaze, and saw worry etched in his face. He looked like a drowned rat, but the idea that he was worried warmed her. It was nice to know he cared.

'I'm fine...really... lets just get out of here...' she said again, and he nodded, climbing back onto Toothless. She encouraged Angus forward, and she followed the dark shadow that was Toothless, flying low to keep an eye on her. By the time the village of Berk came into view, the rain was coming down hard and fast, and Merida was freezing. She slid off Angus, checked her saddlebags (thankfully everything had made it, unscathed.) and followed Hiccup to his house.

xXx

Merida sat on the floor in front of the fire, wrapped in a thick blanket with Toothless curled around her and Fafnir sitting on her lap. Hiccup sat at the table, cleaning the mud off his prosthetic while keeping a wary eye on her.

'Are you alright?' he asked, finally breaking the silence. She gave him a weak smile and pulled the blanket closer around herself.

'I need to tell you something,' she began, and Hiccup came to sit beside her. They were so close, they were touching, and she leaned against him. 'I'm... I'm supposed to be getting married in a few weeks,' she told him in a quiet voice, and she felt his whole body stiffen. '...and I'm really scared, Hiccup. I didn't want an arranged marriage...and they've told me I can choose one of three suitors... and I don't know what to do...'

Her body began to shake as she cried, and Fafnir crawled up her chest to press his nose to her cheek. It made her smile a little, and she petted the little dragon gently. She started as she felt Hiccup's fingertips on her jaw, and he turned her head so she was looking up at him. Then he kissed her.

xXx

_~ Hiccup ~_

Her lips were cold, but they were soft, and they moved against his with a sweet naivety that told him that he'd probably taken her first kiss. When he pulled away from her, her beautiful blue eyes had filled up with tears and she stared at him, looking horrified.

'You kissed me...' she whispered, lifting her fingers to her lips and tracing them lightly. He nodded in response, and took her hand gently. She wrenched it from his grip and stood up, displacing Fafnir, who squeaked desperately as he clung to the blanket to avoid falling.

'No... no, this wasn't supposed to happen...!'

xXx

**A/N;**

**Aaaand, I'm back. Two months later. But it's okay, because I am going to finish this fic, it won't go unfinished.**

**So...yes. I just wanted to thank everyone - I cracked over 100 reviews, which is always a wonderful milestone, and I have so many wonderful followers and favorites and I hope I don't displease.**

**FUN FACT;**  
**The highest number of reviews I've ever gotten is 145, and I'm really excited because I think this one is going to top that. Your opinion means the most to me, and when you guys send me messages and stuff it's that that really gets me motivated and whatnot. I love you all, thank you. **

**Big thanks to Suzettes Blue for beta-ing~!  
Reviews make the world go round.**  
**Stay Shiny**  
**x Maury**


	10. Sticks & Stones

**Chase the Wind**

_**Chapter Ten; Sticks & Stones**_

_~ Merida ~_

'...no...no this wasn't supposed to happen...' she whimpered, covering her mouth in shock. She pulled the blanket tightly around herself. Hiccup was staring at her, his eyes full of hurt and his hand still half outstretched from where she had pulled away from him. Merida could feel her heart thudding in her chest, and she felt lightheaded - she couldn't breathe. Fafnir squeaked at her, and she held him close.

'Merida... I'm sorry... I didn't think-' Hiccup attempted, trying to find his voice.

'I just told you that I was getting _married_...' she cried, fisting her hair in frustration. 'And then you go and _kiss_ me...'

Hiccup scrambled to his feet, but didn't come any closer. 'Merida... we're in the same boat. My dad set me up for an arranged marriage with a girl I don't even know... but I met you, and I think you're beautiful and funny and determined and clever... and I really like you.'

Merida wiped at tears as his words made her cry. He kept talking, not realising that he really wasn't making this any easier for her. 'We can get on Toothless and leave... we have the whole of Scotland, and then even further... no one's going to go looking for two teenagers... please, Merida... I love you... I've never wanted anything more that I want you...' he pleaded.

The princess shook her head, turning her face away from him. She jumped as she felt his hand on her arm, and met his stunning green eyes.

'Fly away with me... please...' he murmured, pressing his face into her hair. Merida's heart melted, and she allowed herself to lean into his body. He hugged her from behind, and she realised that this was what she wanted; what she'd been looking for with Colin and Ian and William. But she thought of her mother, and her father... her brothers. She couldn't leave them... the boys wouldn't be old enough to take the crown for years... she didn't want her parents to lose the throne. And if she walked out on Ian and William... she couldn't ever come back and face them. She let out another sob, and pulled out of his embrace, as comfortable as she felt there.

'No. I can't do it... I'm sorry... I have duties and responsibilities... and my family...' she told him, her voice shaking. His expression fell again, and she swallowed the urge to burst into tears again. 'I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you Hiccup. But I have... and I think I'm going to go home tomorrow morning... so that I don't hurt you anymore, okay?'

xXx

_~ Hiccup ~_

Hiccup stood holding Angus while Merida readjusted all her saddlebags. It was too early for most of the Vikings to even be awake, but Hiccup hadn't been able to sleep and he'd decided to see Merida off, despite how badly he'd stuffed up their relationship. She lifted herself onto the horse with incredible ease, and Angus pranced a bit as Fafnir squeaked.

'Here. You probably don't want me taking him away from people who can care for him properly...' she said, holding the protesting dragon out for him to take. Hiccup shook his head.

'No, he's yours. He won't shut up unless you're around anyway...'

Merida nodded, and tucked the Terror into a saddlebag stuffed with a thick blanket, just over the one packed with her special copy of the dragon manual Fishlegs had made her. Fafnir poked his head out of the bag, but was otherwise content. He squeaked at Toothless, who didn't reply. The Nightfury could feel the sadness between the two friends, and it had affected his mood as well.

'I just wanted to thank you, Hiccup. You've shared so much with me, things about your culture and your stories, and I have a dragon of my own, when only a few weeks ago I didn't even know they existed. And I really hope things turn out okay for you...'

'Yeah,' Hiccup replied, scratching the back of his neck. 'You too.'

Merida gave him a small smile, said goodbye and turned Angus away from the village. They left at a slow walk, and Hiccup would love to believe that she didn't want to leave him, but he knew she was just trying to get Fafnir used to the horses gait, and Angus used to the dragons presence. Once she was gone, Hiccup turned and climbed onto Toothless. The dragon turned and took a running leap off the cliff face that the village of Berk perched on, and they sailed out over the ocean, away from everything and everyone.

xXx

_~ Merida ~_

Merida had never been so happy to see the castle of Dun Broch. She pushed Angus hard in her eagerness to get home, and she could hear Fafnir screeching in displeasure as he was jostled about. He also hadn't been fed, which meant he'd be extra cranky when he met her family. She pulled the horse up as the dirt road turned to stone, and Angus made a beeline right for the water trough.

She was greeted by one of the head servants, who helped her down and took Angus' reigns immediately.

'Your Highness... you aren't due back for a few weeks...is everything okay?' he asked, and she gave a curt nod.

'Yes, everything is fine. Please, unload Angus, feed him something good, the poor mite deserves it. He'll sleep for a month. Also, have my things brought up to my room, let my mother know I'm here and may I please have something from the kitchen?' Merida asked, putting her hand to her head.

The servant, whose name was Graham, nodded and reached for the first saddlebag. Merida jumped, and unclipped that particular bag. Fafnir squeaked inside, and Graham gave her a curious look.

'...thank you, Graham...that will be all.'

Merida made her way through the castle with Fafnir cradled to her chest. Once she reached her room, she let the dragon out of the bag and let him curiously explore the bed. He seemed to find the blankets very amusement.

She looked up at a knock on the door, and opened it just a little, to see who was there.

'Merida? Are you alright?' Elinor asked, and Merida stepped back to let her in. She sat down on the bed, and Fafnir sniffed curiously at her sleeve, making the Queen jump away in fright.

'Don't scare him...!' Merida cried, darting forward and picking up the protesting dragonet. Fafnir dug his claws into her shoulder, opening his wings and hissing furiously.

'What is that?' Elinor asked.

'This is Fafnir. Mum, I need you not to panic, but there are Vikings living on the coast-'

'We know... they came and asked permission, but they were also riding dangerous dragons, so we couldn't really decline. So you've spent time with the Vikings, then?' she asked, and she sat herself down again, tentatively though, as Fafnir was still flapping about.

'Yes. I spent a fair bit of time with them, actually. Fafnir hatched while I was there, and he took a liking to me. So he's mine now. Don't fret, he won't be any bigger than a cat. Not like the riding dragons.'

'Yes. The chief had a particularly nasty looking one...'

'Thornado?' Merida asked, smiling fondly, but sadly. 'He's nothing but a big sweetheart. Stoick adores him...'

There was another knock at the door, and Elinor opened it to find Graham with her bags and a plate of food. Merida realised just how hungry she was. The servants left her things, and the plate, and soon she was alone with her mother again. She tore into a fresh piece of bread with smooth butter, and she hand-fed Fafnir the slices of roast beef. She would need to alert the staff to the fact that he needed fresh meat every day.

'Okay, Merida... I think you have some explaining to do,' Elinor gestured for her to sit down beside her. Merida finished her meal, and sat down beside her mother while Fafnir sniffed and licked the plate clean.

Merida began the story with meeting Hiccup, and she told her mother everything. By the end of it, she had her head in her mothers lap and was sobbing. Fafnir was snuggling in against her stomach, aware that his friend was upset. Elinor gently tried to soothe her daughter, stroking her hair and whispering quietly.

'And... I saw Colin...um, Young MacGuffin...and he's in love with this girl, and it's so wonderful. And then Hiccup... he told me he loved me...and I had to leave him, mum. I wanted so much to stay with him and I couldn't, and I still don't know who I'm going to choose... I'm going to break a heart either way and I still won't be happy because I think I love him too...'

xXx

_~ Hiccup ~_

It was nearly dark when Toothless came to land in the village. Stoick was waiting for him, and Hiccup realised with a sinking feeling that he would have to explain himself, and therefore the events of earlier that day. He'd done a good job ignoring his problems all day, running Toothless through aerial maneuvours that he made up on the spot. Then they'd fallen and taken a dip in the cool waters of the ocean, and then back to practicing up in the air over the water.

'Where the devil have you been, boy?' Stoick growled. Hiccup petted Toothless on the head as the dragon fell to the ground, exhausted.

'I went flying.'

Stoick glared at him, silently asking him to explain himself.

'Merida left this morning. And she's not coming back...' was all he said. Stoick's face softened as his son brushed past him, followed by his dragon. The chief struggled internally for a moment, then followed Hiccup back to his house.

Hiccup was happy to find a small fire in the hearth, someone had put it together for him for when he got home. Toothless immediately curled up beside it, and Hiccup fell into a seat. He looked up as his dad came through the door.

'Hiccup... are you... alright?' Stoick asked, sitting opposite him. Hiccup could see that his dad was trying to do the deep and meaningful thing, but he'd never really excelled at that. Neither of them had. Their communication breakthrough started when Stoick had stopped thinking of him as useless - and it had taken a near death experience to get that far.

'I'm fine. Why?'

'Listen... I know that an arranged marriage isn't what you wanted...'

'Damn straight...' Hiccup mumbled, trying to ignore his father by starting a sketch.

'...but sometimes they work out better than you think. My marriage to your mother was an arrangement, and I wouldn't have done anything differently with her. She was a truly beautiful, clever woman, and I did love her...'

Hiccup had never really heard his dad mention his mother before. It was just one of those things they never talked about. She had died when he was barely walking - he always assumed in a dragon attack, but he wasn't entirely sure.

'So, if that princess chooses you to be her husband, Scotland will gain a clever, fair and wise King one day. If she chooses one of the other Lords, well, then you're off the hook and you can come back here and continue your training for when you become chief. Maybe you can continue what you wanted with Merida?'

'I can't,' Hiccup said, genuinely moved by Stoick's attempt to cheer him up. 'She's getting married to someone else this week.'

'Well, us Vikings never really took marriage laws seriously if you wanted to keep her on the side...'

Hiccup looked up, outraged, but the amused light in his fathers eyes told him he was only teasing. Stoick examined the half sketch - he'd drawn Merida, despite the fact that it only drove the knife in deeper. Her curls were wild and framed her face cutely. Hiccup knew it didn't do her justice.

'Well, son. Get some sleep. You and that dragon must be spent. Tomorrow, we'll be putting together the group to travel to the castle, and I want your input.'

Hiccup saw his father out, and stomped up the stairs, heavy-footed from exhaustion. Toothless followed, just as tired, but determined not to let his friend fall back down. Hiccup crawled into bed, and the dragon settled on his stone. Toothless fell asleep instantly, but Hiccup stayed awake, thinking. After a while, he picked up his blanket and decided to slip in next to Toothless. The dragon cracked open a single eye sleepily, and lifted his wing in welcome. Hiccup was much warmer, all of a sudden, and he slept much more peacefully.

xXx

_~ Merida ~_

Merida smiled gently as her mother kissed her lightly on the temple. The moon was high, and she had emptied her heart in the last few hours.

'Now...are you sure that wee beastie will be alright sleeping here with you?' Elinor asked, and Merida nodded. Fafnir had become quite accustomed to the Queen. Now she was just another person who would pet him if he cried. Right now, he was curled up beside Merida, snoring happily.

'Thank you, mother...' Merida mumbled, her eyes drifting shut. Within moments, she was asleep, and Elinor gently shut the door behind her as she left.

xXx

**A/N**

**Yet another chapter.  
Now, I have a little something I would like to share with all of you. Most of my reviewers are amazing, and really, I love all of you. However, I am NOT okay with one person asking me over and over again to update. This is NOT cool. I'm a second year uni student, I have friends and family and a boyfriend, and I don't spend every waking moment writing this fic. I have promised you that I will finish it, and I will do so in my own time, thankyou. If this continues, I will ban anonymous reviewing.  
Now that I got that off my chest...**

**FUN FACT: I was asked what I thought about the recent HTTYD2 teaser trailer, and this is me telling you that I FLIPPED OUT. It looks AMAZEFACE. I'm so happy, Hiccup looked awesome, and Toothless does as well and just the quality of the animation is just beautiful. How about you guys? Are you happy with what you saw?**

**Thanks to Su for beta-ing!  
Stay Shiny lovelies  
x love Maury**


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